Hello there, UltimateDemonBeast65 here with the new chapter of MVA: Symbiote's Justice! Sorry this chapter took so long to complete, there were a few hiccups and issues we faced, but fortunately we are now done with this chapter. Truth be told, it was going to be longer, but due to how this chapter is paced, we will add the original ending scene of this chapter into the next one.
DISCLAIMER: If anyone has any questions or criticism, review or PM me, but also, PLEASE if you're going to make a review, don't just leave a "good job" or "nice chapter" or a one to two to three-word response. PLEASE give us insightful reviews, both so that we know what you guys would like to see and also if there are any parts you might have done differently or done better.
Anyway, here are the responses to reviews:
Ultimatrix bearer: Thanks for your feedback, but I am going to have to disagree with you on a few things. First off, it is canonically established that the reason why One For All evolved within Deku and granted him access to the other users' Quirks was because of the threat of All For One, or at the very least the past users suspect that being the case, and if the past users think this is the reason, then that makes sense to me. Also, you're misunderstanding something, yes One For All is one part stockpiling Quirk, but Deku isn't gaining more power spontaneously, he is simply being granted access to more of One For All's power, like a 10 percent increase in how much of its accumulated energy he can now use, so that power didn't come from nowhere, it was inside of Deku the whole time, he just needed something to awaken or trigger. Also again, if the probability of All For One being a threat was enough for One For All to give Deku more of its power and capabilities, imagine it reacting to the threat of Knull, who in this setting could end all of creation and the Multiverse if his power is fully restored, so you know damn well One For All instinctively would try its hardest to combat this threat. I know it's not a perfect explanation, but it is technically one backed up by canon. Is it somewhat lazy and cheap? Perhaps, but Deku isn't the main character here, it's Eddie and Venom.
For'Sleep 3rd: Well I'll say this, power isn't going to help them win, but that's a story for another time.
Trux-Killer: Thanks for the feedback, and glad to hear you enjoyed Thundermane's return.
With that out of the way, enjoy the chapter!
Within the new Shie Hassaikai compound in Hokkaido, their leader and boss Overhaul was currently in his lab, synthesizing more Quirk Destroyers from Eri's flesh and blood for All For One's Nomu-Symbiotes to use against the Pro Heroes. He had also tasked two members of the Shie Hassaikai's elite squad, the Eight Bullets, to shadow the Volcano Thieves on their mission, and had just received a call to inform Overhaul they had completed their mission.
"Excellent work, you two. That should make All For One happy knowing his mercs didn't get captured or killed. Just wake them up so that they can continue their job." Overhaul said, speaking to one of his underlings, the drunkard Sakaki, on the phone.
"Understood, boss…hic…" Sakaki said over the phone, before Overhaul heard that he hung up.
Overhaul put his phone away before letting out a sigh. Much had been on his mind ever since All For One had connected him to the Symbiote Hive-Mind to meet his 'benefactor'. He thought about the King in Black's words to him and how he should move forward. Overhaul envisioned what had happened a day ago.
A day ago…
Overhaul had found himself in a pitch black domain, where it felt wet and elastic, the texture feeling awfully like spider-webs. He couldn't see anything in front of him, behind or in any direction he looked and reaching out, he touched what felt like a wall, but it was slimy and damp and made the germaphobe squeamish.
"Damn it, this place is disgusting!" Overhaul exclaimed in anger, as he then felt a presence within the pitch black darkness. "Who's there? All For One? Is this some trick? I didn't hesitate, I let it in like you said to, and yet I'm stranded in the middle of nowhere!"
"Who…are…you…?"
Overhaul heard a sinister and menacing voice and turned around to face its source. Two glowing red eyes pierced through the darkness, glaring at Overhaul as an intense feeling of dread washed over him. These were of course the eyes of the King in Black himself, Knull.
"What the fuck is this…am I…afraid? No, this goes beyond just fear…it's almost as if I'm standing before…before pure evil itself…not even All For One is capable of such dread…" Overhaul thought, before he then addressed Knull. "I was sent here by All For One. I'm guessing that you are his benefactor?"
"Is that what he told you?" Knull said before chuckling sinisterly. "I find it quite amusing that he'd send you here without mentioning who I am. I'm no benefactor, All For One is my Herald, the one who shall set me free and usher me into his universe."
"What do you mean? Are you a Symbiote?" Overhaul asked.
"I created the Symbiotes, human, they were once my weapon to wage war against the light and creation…until they bonded with carbon rudimentary life forms like yourself and grew attached, believing that they could more than what I designed…and then they betrayed me! Caged me in this prison you see now!" Knull explained, as his appearance became more visible, showing off his emaciated humanoid body.
"So then what are you then? You created the Symbiotes, so that makes you some sort of scientist?" Overhaul asked.
"I am no scientist! I am a god, the Living Abyss, the King in Black! I am Knull!" Knull roared, projecting more dread and intensity from his body, knocking Overhaul off his feet and onto the damp and sticky ground.
"A god? That's absurd!" Overhaul objected. "There are no gods, just science and evolution!"
"You dare to question my divinity, you close-minded maggot?! You entered my Hive-Mind, seeking an audience with me, spouting blasphemy!" Knull screamed as he flicked his wrist and made tendrils rise out of Overhaul's shadow and ensnared him.
Overhaul tried to break free from their hold, and even peeled one of his gloves off to try and use his Quirk, but it was no use.
"Impossible! Why isn't my Quirk working?!" Overhaul exclaimed in disbelief and anger.
"This is my domain, human, and prison or not, no darkness or shadow is beyond my reach…so long as you are here, connected to me, you are powerless!" Knull explained before he manifested a dark throne from his own shadow and sat in it. "Alas, if you choose to keep prattling on about your absent-minded beliefs about the cosmos, I will rot you inside out and feast upon your soul…do we have an understanding, human?"
Overhaul then started to nod a few times, indicating he was in agreement. Knull then snapped his fingers, removing the tendrils from his body, causing the Yakuza to fall to his feet, coughing several times before removing his mask in order to breathe properly.
"That was a close call! This monster could have crushed me into pieces with that power of his…" Overhaul thought before returning his gaze back to Knull and spoke. "Alright, you're a god, and you created the Symbiotes…"
"And now you have graced my presence, just like you wanted…but what will you do now, Kai Chisaki? How does knowing my true nature benefit you, given my intentions for your species and all of creation?" Knull asked, getting the Yakuza's attention.
"Your true intentions? You mean after All For One sets you free? You intend to wage war from the sound of it." Overhaul replied.
"Wage war? That would suggest both sides of the conflict are equal…I don't seek to wage war, I seek to exterminate all life in this Multiverse!" Knull announced, causing Overhaul's eyes to dilate in shock and surprise. "As we speak, All For One's mercenaries are discovering the location of one of my first Symbiotes, and with its awakening I shall be free to breach the physical plane once more and usher in eternal darkness upon light itself! A shame your goal of abolishing superpowers from your world will never come to fruition when your entire species is dead…"
"I already abandoned that goal once All For One strong-armed me into giving into his leadership. Hell, I even killed the closest thing I had to a father, not that the old bastard didn't have it coming." Overhaul said. "I've been reduced to a lap dog because of him, he's taken everything I've worked on with Eri and twisted it to suit his plan! If he wasn't so powerful, I'd tear him apart inside out!"
"Is that so….?" Knull asked, forming a sinister grin on his face. "Then I have a proposal for you, if you'll humour me…"
Present time…
Overhaul snapped out of his reminiscence, focusing back on his current work as he brewed more of his Quirk Destroyers.
"This is all just too insane…first alien symbiotes and now ancient gods hellbent on cosmic destruction and death." Overhaul said before pouring the extract he made into a red bullet shell. "I'd say that All For One has bitten off more than he can chew, but it looks like he hasn't got much of a choice if he wants Knull to spare him."
After filling up the red canister/bullet, Overhaul sealed it and put it in a box with other bullets he had previously made. As he was starting on a new batch, Dr. Garaki had entered the lab with his arms behind his back, whistling contently before he looked towards Overhaul.
"So these are the famous Quirk Destroyers I have heard so much about." Garaki remarked as he took one of the bullets out of its box and examined it closely. "It's hard to imagine such a small bullet full of your signature extract can nullify or even permanently take away one's Quirk with a single shot. Though given the nature of the source, one might wonder if you've been keeping the most dangerous threat to Hero Society all to yourself."
"That was the plan, until your boss came into the picture…" Overhaul said with a venomous tone.
"Now, now, there's no need to get hostile, Overhaul." Garaki said before putting the bullet back in its box. "You'll still be able to bring the Heroes to their knees and rob them of their Quirks when the time comes, just the added bonus of them being devoured and killed by mine and the master's creations."
"And I suppose you fancy yourself some sort of Frankenstein?" Overhaul asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh please, Frankenstein wanted to create life as an affront to God, I on the other hand created weapons for All For One and the League of Villains, living weapons but weapons nonetheless. I don't seek to create life just because." Garaki replied with a chuckle. "All For One has a goal, and I will assist him in achieving that goal even if I have to sacrifice my body, mind and soul."
"Your dedication to him would be touching, if you weren't so mad." Overhaul remarked before scratching his head, causing Garaki to once again laugh.
"You wish to annihilate Quirks from this world, to stand in the way of evolution itself and yet you call me mad? Oh, Chisaki, your attempts at trying to play the moral high ground are amusing."
"MY NAME IS OVERHAUL!" Overhaul shouted angrily, as both his plastic gloves were disintegrated by his Quirk.
Garaki, rather than reacting with fear or surprise, simply sighed in disappointment while adjusting his glasses.
"You know, for a man who is so brilliant and talented, you sure do act like a bratty child." Garaki said, causing Overhaul to glare at the scientist in anger.
"What did you say, Garaki?" Overhaul asked angrily.
"Every time I or someone refers to you by your real name, you throw a little temper tantrum and even destroy a few things, like those gloves you were wearing." Garaki answered. "But what I can't wrap my brain around is why you chose an alias that is also the name of your Quirk, aren't you supposed to be trying to get rid of Quirks? Call me old fashioned, but I'm pretty sure that's called hypocrisy, which defines you to a T, Chisaki, and before you throw another fit about me not calling you Overhaul, think for a second. What would happen if you lost your Quirk, if someone were to, oh I don't know, cut off your hands or arms or sever the nerves in them? How would you be able to make your precious Quirk Destroyers without that amazing Quirk of yours? The answer is you can't, Chisaki, and you know it. That girl would have been dead a hundred times over if you couldn't revive her back to peak condition by pulling her mangled body back together. You're a gifted scientist, I'll give you that, but your overreliance on your Quirk to cut corners and act as a safety net is sloppy and will be your undoing one of these days, and you'll have no one to blame but yourself for your hubris."
Overhaul stared at Garaki for a few seconds, having a mix of emotions right now. On one hand, he was furious at Garaki insulting him and refusing to call him by his alias, but on the other hand he couldn't truly disagree with him, he knew deep down that he was right. Overhaul let out a huff before he started to walk out of the lab.
"Good talk, Chisaki, come back when you're ready to be a real scientist." Garaki called out with a smug tone.
Overhaul gritted his teeth under his mask in anger as he left the room. He travelled through a corridor and stopped in front of a door which had a pink sign with a floral design that had the words "Eri's Room" written on it.
It had been a long few days for Eddie and Venom. First they were re-arrested, then made to serve parole at Sir Nighteye's agency and then recruited by Sleeper to hunt down the Volcano Thieves before they could find the ancient symbiote known as the Grendel. However, things were complicated when the Commission sent Lady Nagant to try and assassinate the mercenaries, which came into conflict with the objective they had previously given to them, which was to capture the Volcano Thieves alive. The Lethal Protector duo were becoming fed up with this universe's authorities and their spiteful antics and wondered when they would see reason. Venom was looking out a viewing screen, something akin to a window but not fully solid, and Eddie was thinking of home, of what they left behind in their universe. The two were both cut out of their thoughts by the sound of Lady Nagant slamming something metallic on a nearby table, causing both Eddie and Venom to look over at her direction. It was her rifle arm, which she was making adjustments to.
"Geez, that thing must be heavy." Eddie remarked.
"Not in the slightest." Lady Nagant stated without turning to face him. "It's actually less heavy than a normal 50 caliber rifle since it's just the barrel."
"Oh, well that's handy I guess." Eddie said, before Venom started to chuckle. "What are you laughing about?"
"Get it? Handy?" Venom said with another laugh, to which Eddie looked at Nagant's rifle arm while Nagant herself groaned in annoyance.
"Oh, ha ha ha, very funny…" Eddie said sarcastically. "How long have you been waiting to say that one?"
"Long enough, Eddie!" Venom roared. "Hey space cop! Are we there yet?!"
"No, we are still 30 minutes away from our destination, now do not disturb me when I am flying the ship." Sleeper said sternly as he returned his focus to their path forward.
"Bet you once we're through with this mission, they'll throw us in a deep dark cell, throw away the key and leave us to rot." Eddie said with a sigh before looking at Nagant. "And even if the Commission didn't do that, how can we trust them again after they sent you to kill the people we were sent to capture?"
"We can't." Lady Nagant replied as she continued to make her modifications. "But, it's not like we have much of a choice. We're going to need all hands on deck in order to survive, it's whether or not the Commission realizes that though."
"Do you think they will?" Eddie asked.
"Who fucking knows?" Nagant answered bluntly. "I'm not Nighteye, I can't see the future."
"Fair point..." Eddie said, scratching his head before he looked out the window.
His thoughts then turned to a different place, or rather a different person. Jasmine, also known as Thundermane, the Pro Hero who helped him during the Hosu incident after he and Venom saved her from Stain, and reunited with her in the shopping mall about a month afterward. Eddie remembered her fighting style, her hair, her warm smile, physique, costume and...other favourable assets as well.
"Did we ever get their number…?" Eddie muttered to himself.
"You mean Thundermane right~?" Venom asked with a smug grin.
"Damn it, sometimes I forget you can hear my thoughts." Eddie said with a groan. "But I don't suppose we have her number."
"Why? Did you want to call her?" Venom asked.
"She's probably busy dealing with the surge of Villains and the slow decline of Hero Society…" Lady Nagant chimed in with a sardonic tone. "I might have been in prison for a couple of years, but I'm quick on the uptake."
"So it's that bad in Japan right now?" Eddie asked.
"Haven't you watched the news? The Hero Schools formed an alliance to better protect their students, and yet a few of them went missing or were found dead a day after. The public is either up in arms or protesting like crazy. I've also heard that some business owners have been buying illicit Support Items without a license or training." Nagant explained before she retracted her rifle arm back inside of her elbow.
"Oh shit…" Both Eddie and Venom said in unison before they both looked at each other. "Jinx!"
"You've gotta be kidding me…" Nagant said with a groan as she facepalmed herself.
"We are near the border of Sweden. We'll land in 5 minutes." Sleeper said over the comms.
"About fucking time!" Venom roared in annoyance as Eddie stood up and walked to the cockpit.
"Don't scream over my shoulder like that." Eddie said with a groan before looking at Lady Nagant. "You coming?"
"Of course, like you needed to ask…" She remarked then walked up to the cockpit as well, then spoke up to Sleeper. "Can you track the current location of the Volcano Thieves from up here?"
"I've been tracking them the entire time we've been pursuing them, both through the ship's computer and my personal HUD." Sleeper replied. "If you are inquiring about their location, they are on the outskirts of Kebnekaise."
"Alright." Nagant simply said with a nod. "I'll see if I can find a good sniping position once we land."
"Fantastic." Eddie said with a snarky tone before watching as the ship began to descend to the ground. "Good to stretch the legs after a long drive."
"But we're in an aircraft, not an automobile." Sleeper said, confused.
"You do know what metaphors are, right?" Nagant asked with a brow raised.
"Sure, do you know what feigning ignorance is?" Sleeper asked back, causing Nagant to have a hint of surprise on her face before flashing an amused grin.
"Ha, touché."
"Get ready to land." Sleeper said as they inched closer and closer to the snow and grass-clad ground below.
The ship soon enough had landed, with the group walking out after the door had opened and the ship's platform was extended low enough towards the ground. While it was somewhat dark outside, the group were still able to make sense of their surroundings thanks to the moonlight reflecting off of the snow throughout the mountain range.
"Which way did the Volcano Thieves go?" Nagant asked Sleeper as she observed the surrounding area.
"They're west from our position." Sleeper replied, checking his HUD. "They are 20 kilometers ahead of us, unfortunately."
"Sounds like we better get a move on then…" Eddie sighed as Venom formed over his body.
The Lethal Protector began to sprint off towards the mountain, followed by both Sleeper and Nagant, which kept up with his pace. Meanwhile, up further, 20 kilometers to be exact, the Volcano Thieves were trekking the path up the harsh and cold heights of Kebnekaise. Dusty Ash not only kept hold of the compass but also had a rifle slung around her shoulder and flashbangs hanging on her belt. Though, the mercenaries were not expecting such a climate when they arrived.
"Brrrr…i-it's so goddamn-cold…" Dusty Ash shivered while rubbing her upper arms. "Think you c-could warm me up, Volcano~?"
"With what? My magma would turn your flesh and bones into black ooze." Volcano said, unaffected by the cold temperature due to his Quirk.
"I know that…so perhaps you c-could hold me in your arms instead~" Dusty Ash said in a more flirtatious tone while grabbing his right arm. "At least do so until we reach what we're looking for~"
Volcano's face went slightly red as he looked at the female mercenary's attempts of seduction.
"Grrrr, no fair!" Gust Boy exclaimed. "Why does she always go to embrace you first?!"
"All you can do is create gusts of air, however I can create heat to warm her up." Volcano answered as he brought her closer towards him, with Gust Boy only groaning in response as the three continued their walk up the mountain.
"How far until we reach this place?" Gust Boy asked after several more minutes passed.
"We still need to get to the center of the mountain, and keep watch on where the compass is pointing." Volcano replied. "Better try and get there before Nagant and the aliens find us again."
"Maybe you shouldn't speak about them, otherwise you'll summon them to our location given how unlucky we've been in regards to this job." Dusty Ash said.
"We've done fine, we found every clue and piece of the puzzle so far, and we got away even after they tranq'd us." Gust Boy reminded his comrades.
"Yeah, but that was only because the Yakuza bailed us out." Dusty Ash countered.
"Yeah well…..we called for the plane, so that has to count for something!" Gust Boy argued.
"Oh yes, Kazetani, praise us for something we do literally every time we get a job." Volcano said sarcastically. "We hire transport every time we go out of Japan, that's nothing special, just business as usual."
"Look, all I'm saying is we're in the lead, we have the compass, and those freaks and that hot yet creepy sniper lady haven't found us yet." Gust Boy said sheepishly.
"Are you seriously simping over Nagant right now, Kazetani? That woman is a demon, a highly-skilled assassin who would tear you apart limb by limb with her sniping alone." Volcano said in frustration.
"Besides…I thought you wanted me, Kazetani…" Dusty Ash said, turning her head to look at him with a pout on her face while holding onto Volcano more tightly, acting as though she's jealous.
Gust Boy blushed before scratching his head.
"Well, of course I want you, Haizono…" He said sheepishly. "But a man can't help but acknowledge another woman's looks as well as your own…"
"Even though said woman is trying to hunt us down and kill us." Volcano said bluntly before he stopped moving as if something had made him stop.
"What's wrong, Iwata?" Dusty Ash asked.
Volcano didn't respond as he stood still for a few more seconds, then pushed Dusty Ash out of the way and blocked a purple and pink bullet using his gauntlet, causing it to ricochet. That first gunshot was then heard by the three of them as they all turned around, but then Dusty Ash's right thigh was scraped before she sliced another bullet after she drew her tanto, while Gust Boy blew a small burst of air downwards to dodge a bullet at the last second.
"Speak of the devil…they found us." Volcano stated, looking up to see that Venom and Sleeper were right behind them, while Lady Nagant was positioned several dozen meters behind the two aliens.
"Shit…we should get a move on!" Dusty Ash said as she looked down at the compass.
"I agree, but we need to put a stop to this now." Volcano said firmly.
"'Sup bitches! Ready to get your shit wrecked again, scrubs?!" Venom roared amusingly, much to the annoyance of Eddie and Nagant.
"Are you fucking kidding me…?" Lady Nagant said over their communication line while reloading.
"What? It sounded cool!" Venom argued.
"It was cringe, and don't you ever say that shit again or I will throw myself into a fire." Eddie said angrily.
"Focus." Sleeper said firmly before addressing the Volcano Thieves. "This is your final warning, Volcano Thieves, surrender yourself or we will be forced to detain you and bring you back to the Japanese authorities."
"You've been chasing us all around the Nordic countryside, alien, and I'll give you props for not giving up. But the Volcano Thieves always finish the job they're hired to do, and no one is going to change that." Volcano stated before looking over where Lady Nagant was. "I'm surprised, Nagant, going back to being a lapdog of the hypocrites who locked you up in the first place."
"Better than betraying my planet and helping an alien invasion." Lady Nagant stated, much to the Volcano Thieves' confusion as they heard her voice through a speaker from one of the bullets in the mountainside next to them, causing her to huff. "What? All For One didn't tell you that? Guess he didn't want you to get cold feet if you knew what the real purpose of your mission was."
"You're lying!" Gust Boy shouted in disbelief.
"Am I?" Nagant asked with a raised eyebrow. "Face it, you were traitors to the human race the minute you took the job."
"Enough talk!" Dusty Ash exclaimed before unleashing a large amount of dust from her body, then within the smoke, she took out her micro-uzi and provided covering fire behind them as the three ran up the path.
Sleeper weaved around each of the bullets while Venom blocked them by creating a shield on his arm. Afterwards, Venom leapt forward and charged at Volcano and struck him with a shoulder bash, sending him flying into the mountain side. Meanwhile, Nagant and Sleeper were dealing with Gust Boy and Dusty Ash, with Nagant trying to shoot their legs in order to incapacitate them while Sleeper formed tendrils to grab the two. Gust Boy however intercepted them and spun his hands around, blowing Sleeper and Nagant away and interrupted the sniper's shot. Venom looked at his allies before Volcano was able to catch the Lethal Protector off guard and hit him with a steaming hot gauntlet clad punch, searing Venom's flesh as he was knocked over from the impact.
"Shit! That fist was hot!" Venom roared in pain.
"Don't let him hit us with it again or he'll turn us into burnt sludge!" Eddie yelled, as Venom side-stepped a blast of magma from Volcano.
"Dusty Ash, now!" Volcano shouted.
Haizono then took out the rifle she carried on her shoulder after putting her two other weapons away. She then turned to Volcano and pulled the trigger, firing off a burst of sonic waves at Venom, causing him to screech in pain and collapse on his knees. Afterwards, she quickly turned to Sleeper and fired the sonic rifle at him as well, to which he also collapsed on the ground.
"Damn it, now they have sonic weapons too?!" Eddie exclaimed, feeling Venom's pain as the sound's frequency ran through his body.
"Disabling that weapon should be top priority as well, otherwise those two are screwed." Nagant thought as she focused on sniping Dusty Ash, firing off shots at her, but Gust Boy kept blowing Nagant's bullets away.
"Nice try, Lady Nagant, but my fan hands can blow back any projectile!" Gust Boy boasted arrogantly. "Even speeding bullets!"
"Gust Boy, heads up!" Dusty Ash called out as she took out one of the flashbangs and tossed it in Lady Nagant's direction.
Gust Boy used his fans to blow the flashbang towards the former Pro Hero faster. Fortunately, she was able to move her head out of the way, as it was about to hit her in the face. But even though she used her free arm to shield her eyes, Nagant was still stunned from the concussive force. Both Dusty Ash and Gust Boy then took the opportunity to move up the path.
"Come on, boss, let's go! Nagant is blinded!" Gust Boy shouted.
Volcano gritted his teeth before he began to follow Dusty Ash and Gust Boy. As he was running towards his colleagues, Volcano lifted his gauntlet clad arm up and started to fire blasts of lava into the air that rained down on Venom, Sleeper and Nagant.
"Oh shit, oh fuck!" Venom exclaimed as he narrowly dodged each of the lava blasts near him, with Nagant and Sleeper also dodging the Volcano's attack.
"Damn it…" Nagant muttered before reloading and fired off more shots at the Volcano Thieves again, this time managing to hit Volcano on his shoulder before Gust Boy could react in time, but he did manage to blow away the rest of her bullets from hitting them.
"Iwata!" Dusty Ash exclaimed as she pulled out another flashbang and threw it far behind her, forcing Nagant to look away again as it detonated.
Dusty Ash also used her Quirk again to release a large cloud of dust to conceal their movements.
"Shit, those damn bullets hit like tiny missiles!" Volcano roared in pain, grasping his shoulder as he did his best to keep going.
"You're telling me! She shot me in the leg with one of those things!" Gust Boy yelled as he blasted another wave of air with his fans before running alongside Dusty Ash and Volcano.
"We can't let them get away again!" Sleeper yelled, losing his composure as he re-adjusted his body before thrusting his hands forward to shoot streams of green acid at the Volcano Thieves.
However, as the acid was about to hit the Volcano Thieves, a purple energy barrier appeared over them, causing the acid to hit it and dissolve, but leaving the barrier unaffected. The Volcano Thieves themselves were rather confused, but kept running up the mountain to complete their mission.
"A force field?!" Eddie exclaimed.
"But neither of them have a barrier Quirk!" Venom roared in disbelief.
And just a few seconds later, the Volcano Thieves ran around a bend in the mountain, out of sight of Nagant and the two symbiotes.
"Shit! I've lost visual on the Volcano Thieves!" Nagant called out through comms.
Sleeper growled in frustration, but then flinched as something appeared on his HUD.
"Something is heading towards us and fast!" The Knight of the Cosmos said before looking over at Nagant. "Lady Nagant, behind you!"
The sniper then turned herself around as fast as she could to see what was behind her. It was a large yet slender humanoid with eight arms and hook-shaped claws on its hands and feet. It has an exposed brain and six eyes that glowed purple along with a gaping mouth full of large fangs. Its skin was a black ooze-like substance that pulsated and squirmed and had purple glowing veins running across its body. Lady Nagant then tried to shoot it the moment she saw it, but the creature dodged it at almost point-blank range and used one of its arms to grab Nagant then slammed her into the mountainside a couple of times. But Nagant endured the damage she was taking and shortened her barrel and kept shooting at the creature before her rifle was out of ammo. She saw that her shots hit the monster, but much to her shock none of her bullets did any damage to it. The creature then let go of Nagant after slamming her into the mountain one more time, and set its sight on Venom and Sleeper, then ran towards them at high speeds.
"Nagant!" Both Eddie and Venom yelled.
"Impossible! How did it get here so quickly? And just as I took my eye off my HUD…" Sleeper said, shocked at how quick the entity had arrived.
As soon as the Lethal Protector and Knight of the Cosmos laid their eyes on this entity however, they felt a sensation appear in their minds, the psychic touch of one of their own.
"What the fuck is this thing…?" Venom said in horror. "Is this-"
"Yes….it appears All For One has done it…he has combined Klyntarian offspring with his breed of abominations…" Sleeper replied, looking at the Nomu-Symbiote that was before them.
"So then this thing is one of Carnage's kids?" Eddie asked in disgust. "They really do keep getting worse and worse."
The creature then jumped at Venom at high speeds while extending its extra limbs mid-flight, trying to stab him in the chest. Venom dodged most of the tendrils but quickly formed a shield to block four of the Nomu-Symbiote's claws which pushed the Lethal Protector a few feet from the force alone. Sleeper then formed his Necrosword and started to swing it furiously at the multi-armed abomination, but each swing was parried by the Nomu-Symbiote generating a barrier upon each strike, then suddenly large spike-like protrusions manifested over the creature's body and started firing off at Sleeper and Venom as razor sharp projectiles.
"This thing is shooting spikes at us!" Eddie yelled as Venom dodged and blocked each of the spikes fired in their direction.
"And it has the reflexes and intuition to parry my strikes." Sleeper commented as he blocked and parried spikes with his Necrosword. "We need to catch it off guard and hit it faster than it can counter."
"...Sleeper…Venom…" Nagant grunted in pain, then stood back up out of the mountainside and reloaded her rifle. "Keep the creature distracted for me, I'll wait for an opening…then I'll take my shot…"
"Understood." Sleeper simply acknowledged.
"Let's do this!" Venom shouted as he formed a tendril around his right arm and spun it like a drill, then charged at the abomination.
Sleeper meanwhile continued to swing his Necrosword at the creature, which predictably parried again with its barriers. Venom rushed in and thrusted his makeshift drill at the Nomu-Symbiote, forcing it to try and counter both symbiotes' attacks with well timed barriers. Venom and Sleeper increased the speed of their blows, trying to overwhelm its defenses and speed, and fortunately for the two of them, the creature appeared to be slowing down, even if it was only by a little.
"This bastard is fast, even when we both attack it at the same time!" Venom roared.
"Keep attacking and increase your repetition, we need to overwhelm its senses." Sleeper ordered as his sword swings and thrusts became faster and heavier.
Venom also increased the speed of his thrusts while spinning his makeshift drill faster, doing his best to follow Sleeper's lead and force the Nomu-Symbiote to drop its guard. The six-armed creature kept generating small barriers to counter their attacks, but as they continued to fight Venom and Sleeper's attacks got faster and faster, and soon enough the Nomu-Symbiote tried to counter with a barrier, but left a significant amount of his body vulnerable to an attack. Lady Nagant, finally seeing her opening, took the shot straight at the Nomu-Symbiote's head. Brain matter sprayed onto the ground as the bullet penetrated the creature's exposed organ, but rather than stopping its movement, it leapt backwards and covered up the brain in its symbiotic flesh, causing its head to fully take on the appearance of a ferocious Klyntar.
"What the hell?! I shot it directly in its brain and yet it's still standing!" Nagant yelled in disbelief.
"You shot the Nomu's brain, but the symbiote forcibly bonded to it. So it's still alive and in full control of the body now." Sleeper explained as he gripped his Necrosword tightly. "Keep your guard, for who knows what tactic or Quirk it will use this time."
"Hrk…Agh…It hurts…" The Nomu-Symbiote groaned as it extended its claws. "Pain…So much pain…"
"What the fuck?!" Eddie exclaimed as he, Venom, Sleeper and Nagant heard the Nomu-Symbiote speak in an almost painful tone of voice.
"Grandfather…" The Nomu-Symbiote growled before lunging at Venom and started to throw a flurry of punches at the Lethal Protector.
"Grandfather? Who the hell is it talking to?" Lady Nagant questioned, steadying her rifle as she kept it aimed at the Nomu-Symbiote.
"I think it's talking to Venom." Eddie answered.
"Free me…Kill me, Grandfather…" The Nomu-Symbiote groaned as it continued to attack Venom, then stopped in place to create more spikes on its body before shooting them towards Sleeper, Venom, and Nagant.
Venom created a shield and blocked them while Sleeper and Nagant simply dodged to the side to avoid the spikes. Venom formed an arm blade on his other hand before lunging forward and swinging down on the Nomu-Symbiote, who blocked it with all six arms.
"Why isn't it using the barrier Quirk from before?" Eddie questioned. "Did Nagant shooting the Nomu's brain somehow deactivate it?"
The Nomu-Symbiote roared before pushing Venom back, forcing the Lethal Protector to retract his blade and shield back into his biomass. As the Nomu-Symbiote prepared another round of spikes, Venom instinctively thrusted his hands forward, then as soon as the spikes were launched, a barrage of nails began to fire out of each of Venom's fingertips, which intercepted all of the spikes that the hybrid shot out of the air.
"WOAH!" Both Eddie and Venom yelled in surprise.
"Since when could you do that?" Nagant asked, feeling just as surprised as they were.
"Since now I guess…but this isn't part of me, like the nails were made up of my biomass, they just…formed…" Venom answered, still perplexed at what he just did before remembering something. "Wait, that thug we ate when we first came here…"
"He shot nails out of his fingertips like a nail gun…" Eddie finished before coming to a conclusion. "Did we take that guy's Quirk?"
"What? That's insane, only All For One is meant to be able to take Quirks!" Nagant exclaimed in disbelief.
"I believe the time for answers is not yet among us, we should deal with this abomination and put it out of its misery." Sleeper said.
"Right." Both Eddie and Nagant said.
Venom then rushed towards the Nomu-Symbiote once more, first firing a barrage of nails which forced the creature to try and counter them with its spikes. Sleeper weaved through each of the spikes launched in his direction before lunging powerfully at the Nomu-Symbiote, and swung down with his Necrosword, finally slicing off two of the Nomu-Symbiote's arms. During that time, Nagant curled a part of her hair using her left index finger, forming multiple high-explosive rounds before loading them into her rifle and took a couple shots at the arachnid abomination. While her bullets still didn't do any damage, the Nomu-Symbiote was at least stunned as it was trying to attack Sleeper with its remaining arms. Sleeper however was able to block and parry each of the creature's attacks, due to the loss of proper balance and equilibrium from losing two of its arms and being shot with explosive rounds, and after forcing it to drop its guard, the Knight of the Cosmos blasted its torso with a stream of acid. The Nomu-Symbiote screeched and roared in pain as the acid melted through its chest and left its rib cage, muscles and organs exposed.
"Now! Strike its entrails and organs before its torso closes up!" Sleeper yelled.
Nagant then fired the rest of her bullets into the hybrid's rib cage, causing the organs within its body to explode into red mist and the Nomu-Symbiote fell to its knees. The squirming biomass that was its skin bubbled up and shook violently like water during an earthquake as it tried to maintain its body's immune system, but without the Nomu's vital organs, the symbiote aspect of its being will have no backup source of food and energy. Venom then ensnared the half-dead Nomu-Symbiote with a few tendrils before grasping both sides of its head and glared at his six-eyed descendant.
"Kill me…." The abomination pleaded in a weak tone.
"With pleasure…" Venom said before he swiftly bit down on the Nomu-Symbiote's head and tore it clean off along with the rest of the symbiote's biomass, much to the visible disgust of Lady Nagant.
"Ugh…gross." She groaned as she closed up her rifle arm while Venom swallowed the symbiote whole, but then remembered their main objective. "We should get a move on. The Volcano Thieves might have reached what they are looking for already."
"Agreed. Let's go!" Eddie said before Venom, Sleeper, and Nagant ran as fast they could up the mountain path.
As they ascended up the mountain, the four allies stumbled upon an opened set of doors, noticing burn marks and dried up lava nearby. Realising what this meant, Venom, Sleeper and Nagant raced in as quickly as they could, crossing more evidence of the Volcano Thieves' presence inside of this built-in tunnel system.
"They got here before us." Nagant said as she kept moving while surveying the area. "Sleeper, what happens if those three get to the end of this pathway?"
"They will find the Grendel, and once All For One awakens it, he will be able to not only destroy entire cities and nations, he will be able to give Knull a vessel once he re-connect it to the Symbiote Hive-Mind." Sleeper replied.
"I thought All For One could already destroy cities and nations." Venom commented.
"Then he'll be able to destroy entire countries then!" Eddie said in a hasteful tone. "Let's just hurry up and stop these guys already!"
The group of unlikely allies raced further into the tunnel, which became wider and more detailed as they saw various statues and architecture about, including a mural carved in the side of the wall which depicted a group of archaic warriors fighting some sort of monstrous entity that resembled a dragon but somewhat wrong or twisted in nature. Though Eddie, Venom and Nagant were curious about the mural, Sleeper urged his allies to keep moving, as they began to keep moving further and further into the tunnel. Eventually they reached the end of the pathway, which revealed an even larger set of doors, but rather than it being forcibly opened, there was a hole burnt through it, large enough for three people to slip in.
"No…." Sleeper said in a horrified tone as he stopped in front of the doors.
"Are we too late…?" Eddie asked as half of Venom's face opened up.
"Use your scanners." Nagant said to Sleeper, to which the Knight of the Cosmos looked at his HUD, then flinched. "What's wrong? Is it still there? Has it been awakened already?"
"It's not awake…" Sleeper said as he stepped through the hole in the door, causing Venom and Nagant to follow him, and saw a large cave, with nothing inside of it. "It's not awake, because it's not even here anymore…"
Venom feel to his knees as a surge of anger and frustration built up within him and his host. Their chances of getting home had now become slimmer, and now because of their failure, hell was about to be unleashed.
"NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Things had been looking up for All For One. First he had escaped All-Might's final blow and ruined his career, then he slowly ate away at the public's faith in Hero Society. He had also met the elder god Knull and formed a pact with him to better understand the symbiotes and what made them tick, and now the Volcano Thieves he had hired completed their mission, as what lied before him in the once empty military grade bunker was a colossal mass of black oozing flesh, organs and blood with tendrils that protruded and stretched out like tree roots and encompassed many of the shadowy areas within the walls and scaffolding. Next to All For One were the Volcano Thieves, who nervously were waiting for their client to give them feedback on their mission.
"Well, consider myself impressed and satisfied." All For One said with a grin before clapping his hands slowly. "Congratulations on completing your mission, Volcano Thieves, Giran was right to recommend your services."
"Yes well, we take a job, we finish it, end of discussion." Volcano said, crossing his arms. "Now then, if you don't mind, we'd like our payment, sir."
"And what would you like your payment to be?" All For One asked slyly.
"What do you think? Money obviously!" Gust Boy exclaimed.
"Three hundred million Yen." Dusty Ash clarified. "In cash."
"Very well, have it your way." All For One said before snapping his fingers, to which Kurogiri then opened up a warp gate and stuck his hand inside of it.
The Warping Villain then pulled out a suitcase and laid it on the ground before unzipping it, showing the Volcano Thieves three-hundred million Yen in the form of thirty-thousand 10,000 Yen notes. Dusty Ash and Gust Boy were both in awe at so much money being in front of them, almost looking as if their eyes had become Yen signs.
"That's so much cash…" Gust Boy said, almost on the verge of tears.
"It's…beautiful…" Dusty Ash beamed.
Volcano rolled his eyes in annoyance before he closed the suitcase and picked it up with his gauntlet clad hand.
"Our business has been concluded, All For One, this is where we part ways." Volcano said in a formal tone.
"Indeed." All For One simply said. "Though you could stick around, I would have plenty of other jobs that would be perfect for your skill sets."
"First rule of being a mercenary, All For One: Never stay loyal to just one client. Thanks for the offer, but we have what we want, so goodbye and good luck to whatever this weird shit is…" Volcano said as he walked out with the suitcase, followed by Dusty Ash and Gust Boy.
"Should we stop them from leaving, Master? They already know crucial details regarding our plan." Kurogiri asked.
"No, let them go. As Volcano himself said, they're not loyal to one client, so why would they risk being caught by the authorities just to tattle on our plan? Besides, I'll know where they are if they go out of line…" All For One replied as he turned his attention back to the slumbering Grendel.
Kurogiri then made another warp gate in front of the Volcano Thieves, who all stopped in front of it before turning around to look at the prototype Nomu.
"What's this?" Gust Boy asked.
"A shortcut home." All For One replied simply.
Before Gust Boy was going to speak again, Volcano put his free hand on the bill-lipped mercenary's shoulder.
"Let's go, we'd be dead already if this were a trap." Volcano said, before entering the warp gate.
Gust Boy gritted his teeth before joining his boss through the warp gate. Dusty Ash then walked in behind the warp gate behind them as well. Shortly enough, the three of them were back at their hideout, everything left the way it was before they took the job from All For One, then the warp gate behind them disappeared.
"Ah, home sweet home." Gust Boy sighed.
"Yes, a job well done and a shit ton of cash." Volcano said, as he went over to their safe and started placing the money inside of it. "I need to get this damn costume and gear off, then take a shower and drink some fine wine."
"Well, I'm gonna just order takeout and play some 4v4 online." Gust Boy said before looking around, seeing someone was missing. "Hey, where's Haizono?"
"Iwata…Kazetani…" Dusty Ash called to them seductively, to which the two men turned around to look at where her voice was coming from, and their faces immediately turned red once they laid their eyes on her.
They saw that Dusty Ash positioned herself on the couch, her hands placed behind her head, her body was turned slightly to the right, and had her left leg bent closer towards her, all the while not wearing her costume. Using her right hand, she gestured for Gust Boy and Volcano to come towards her.
"Come on boys~ Don't keep me waiting~"
Did you enjoy the chapter? If so, please favourite and follow the story and give me your feedback!
I will now go over my decisions made in the chapter!
So Overhaul as he was promised, met All For One's 'benefactor', and they had a conversation which you didn't hear the entirety of. You can theorise or speculate as to what they talked about, what Knull's offer was, but currently I will let the story reveal that answer in time. And yep, Garaki roasted Overhaul for his childish behaviour.
So yes, the Volcano Thieves completed their mission and found the Grendel. I know we didn't have a scene of them finding it and reacting to it, but we didn't want to milk the scene too much. The reason why Venom, Sleeper and Lady Nagant failed is because me and my co-author would like to try and bring this continuity to the brink of despair and force the world to wake up and realise how truly fucked they are if they don't get their shit together, especially given how ungrateful and just toxic the public are being in canon right now. We want a finale that will truly test the limits of this universe and hopefully, they'll be able to figure out a plan to beat Knull, but it won't be easy, no sir, not one bit.
So we also have the second Nomu-Symbiote introduced, who if you're wondering the Nomu-Symbiote possesses three Quirks, the first being a Heteromorph Quirk which gives it the physiology and proportional abilities of a human-sized tarantula, hence why it can create spikes that shoot out of its body much like how a new world tarantula kicks its hairs into the air and sprays predators with them. The second Quirk is an Emitter type which can create energy barriers to enclose opponents or be used to block and parry attacks. The third Quirk of course is a standard Regeneration Quirk that all Nomu have, though as shown many times, Nomu cannot regenerate vital organs like the brain, as Stain was able to kill one fairly easily by stabbing its brain. Combine this with its skin being the biomass of a symbiote and a lack of weakness to sound and fire and you have one of the strongest biological weapons in the world.
The symbiote forcibly bonded to the Nomu is conscious and aware of what's happening to it, and is in constant agony from it, especially due to being controlled by All For One using a technique Knull bestowed onto him via that spiral he has etched into his face. The Nomu-Symbiote are very powerful, but they are not invincible. Yes, the first Nomu-Symbiote manhandled Toga and Carnage, but that's mainly because they had no idea how to fight it and were trying to fight it alone, which is not the key to killing this thing. Venom having Sleeper and Nagant to back him up means they have a numbers advantage and ways of overwhelming the Nomu-Symbiote that can't be done with one person.
Nagant shot the Nomu's brain, which disabled his barrier Quirk. This is because the Quirks are inside of the Nomu and not the symbiote and any damage done to the vital organs can basically turn the Nomu into an even deader husk of meat and flesh. Without the brain, the symbiote took full control, but even then All For One is just piloting the thing anyway, so all it can do is beg for death from its opponents. And yes, while it is true that Nomu can regenerate lost limbs, Sleeper's Necrosword can nullify healing due to the established fact that all Necroswords possess a small fragment of the god-killing power of All-Black, however this does not extend to Sleeper's other abilities which is why even though he blasted the Nomu-Symbiote's torso open with his acid, he told Nagant to fire at its organs before it closes up.
But also bear in mind that symbiotes adapt and learn from their mistakes and the Nomu-Symbiotes all share a psychic connection to the Symbiote Hive-Mind which will allow them to take this one's death and apply it to future battles, so next time they fight the other Nomu-Symbiotes, they will do a better job to protect the Nomu's organs.
And of course, we finally see Venom manifest a Quirk from one of his victims. This was an idea that many of our readers wanted to see, and honestly I thought it was a cool concept. It's very similar to the comic version of symbiotes, who if bonded to a host for long enough will mimic their abilities and skills, like how Venom copied all of Spider-Man's abilities and became immune to his Spider-Sense. The way this will work is that if a symbiote eats the brain of someone with a Quirk, they will absorb the stem cells containing the person's Quirk Factor, which is the genetic data used to give and store Quirks. After a bit of time, they will be able to tap into the Quirk Factor within their biomass and manifest that Quirk. Venom and Carnage have eaten a fair few people with Quirks already, so don't be surprised if you see them using Quirks in the future, and based on their victims, see if you can guess which ones will manifest.
If that is all, then I will see you guys in the next chapter! MVA; Symbiote's Justice, Lethal Protectors away!