Chapter 133 - New Order Imperfections

Kovik was silent, deathly silent.

The video feed replayed for the fifth time, Halimaka was the closest he had gotten to merging NARA perfectly with a still human host, those that mutated into his false Splicers were unable to retain their quirks. The Barons were the next step forward, possessing their personalities to a minor degree with wants and needs, augments from NARA kept their quirks, even if only fractions of what they were. But Halimaka, he suffered only minor mutations, and his quirk had evolved in tangent with NARA. Something Kovik had only seen with AFO.

But then 'She' appeared. Her allies fought and carved out a path, it was clear her control over SIVA had been mastered, but the way she fought, how she reacted, it wasn't human, but it wasn't quite Eliksni either. But every action made his wires crawl. He shut off the recording after Halimaka was bested, the image of that wretched Thief gone from view for an overlook of a snow-capped valley of trees.

"Star and Stripe, the Number One hero of the USA, she's approaching Japan's coast soon," He stood up from his chair, running a claw down the tip of his helmet, contemplating their situation. "If she remains here and the heroes come for their final battle, the Siege Engine will be compromised... very well, direct it is..." He needed to be cautious with her. If New Order is as deadly as these faint memories of All For One's claim, he could lose NARA's cores residing within him. "Skeptic,"

He was a tall and lanky man with shiny black hair that reaches his waist, worn down with a neat fringe hanging over his eyes. He had a visibly long nose and a wide mouth with notably straight teeth. He wore a long-sleeved black turtleneck shirt and dark pants. Clutching a data pad, he looked to the Kell. "Is it time again? You know this can compromise our location to that wretch Sky Comet's network?"

"I'm aware, but this far from civilian territory has hidden us long enough for a few risks, and considering what's coming, I doubt we have much in the way of solutions," Kovik would need to make the first move. "Prepare quickly, I'll move to intercept this Hero of the West."

"No, let me handle her..." Behind them both, shuffling forward from the dark as the peeling of skin and muscle rippled through the air, Black goo dribbled onto the floor as the darkness weaved into bone and membrane behind Shigaraki, himself wrapped in a black, tattered cloak as he approached. He looked the same say for the cracks of red across many parts of his skin, burning like hot magma in his veins. "New Order, if she uses it directly on NARA, this would be a massive setback for us,"

Kovik turned to fully address Shigaraki, "Your metamorphosis is nearly complete... this would be just as great of a risk," Hearing this, Shigaraki shrugged, waving his hand wide, metal replacing his right limb almost entirely.

"No matter how we look at it, the fact remains the great hero All Might helped create is coming for us, and one of us will need to throw their hat into the ring," Shigaraki didn't like it, they were backed into a corner again by just one hero. "Infernal and Dabi can't be deployed, if we lose this chance to steal New Order either, so it has to be me, this raid boss has come crashing on our doorstep, can't have that,"

Kovik mulled it over, staring at the new holder of AFO and then to his monitors, in just two days they would be complete, and the Siege Engine could finally be put into operation, but now the US sends their greatest trump card to disrupt and dismantle it all. He made a clicking hiss, turning back to the man standing by patiently. "...I suppose our options are limited, right, I will inform Infernal to stand by if things begin to collapse, this is a delicate situation, one we cannot afford to lose," He tapped his fingers together, contemplating the battle in his head.

"I guess I'll go greet this All Might clone," Shigaraki stretched his new wings, feeling NARA and AFO rushing through his veins, building with tremendous heat in his back. He looked back at Kovik and Skeptic, a hellish smile stretching his cheeks, "Besides, now... It's My Turn to show them where we stand!"

The sea's wind caught around Star and Stripe's cape, she didn't buckle with her feet placed firmly to the body of the X-66 fighter jet. Her hero costume was a high-collared skin-tight bodysuit with shoulder pads, boots and gauntlets. Fitting to her home country and hero name, the upper torso was decorated in stripes, and her gauntlets and collar are studded with metal stars. Completing the outfit was a long, striped cape that resembles of the U.S. flag. Her hair was now styled with eight distinct tufts swept backward, similar manner to the ones All Might possessed in his empowered form.

She gave a toothy grin, hands on her hips. "You must be one free guy to come all the way up here to greet me!" But her smile fell for a serious look that would send tremors through many. "Are you the villain they call Kovik?"

"Well, who am I indeed?" Shigaraki mused, flapping his wings while in conjunction with Air Walk to stabilize himself.

The wind swept through Shigaraki's cloak, revealing parts of his body had changed but it was too dark beneath to tell what his body had become, he simply glared back as static filled Star's comms. ~The hell? Something's tapped into our secure line!~ ~It's a broadcast... to the whole network!?~ ~This can't be good...~

~Greetings. I am Kovik, I will spare all of you across this world wasted breath and state what I wish for you to hear. Currently, the hero known as Star and Stripe, the symbol of the West, the one many consider a prodigy like All Might, has arrived off the coast of Japan to see to mine and Tomura Shigaraki's end. I wish to share this moment with all of you, hero, villain, civilian alike, all of you will bear witness to the futility of your efforts. This is not a show of power, nor is there any deeper meaning to behold. All I wish. What we intent to show... the Apex of Despair~

~Crap... that means this is Tomura Shigaraki, seems he can utilize EMP blasts. All units, deploy forcefields and disengage autopilot~ The lead fighter shook off the unsettling declaration from his mind for the time being.

~Roger that, Wing Commander Bravo~

~Requesting final confirmation. Do we engage or retreat?~ Commander Bravo asked the woman stood atop his jet, her face hadn't lost its glower.

"After a stunt like that? With the whole world watching, there's only one option left... Smash!" She answered, watching Shigaraki carefully.

~Copy that, let's hope that one of us makes it back to base~ Commander Bravo sighed. In seconds, the jets pivoted and shifted their positions in seconds.

"Take your formation, it's time to exterminate a villain! If the rest of you fall in battle, I'll make sure to return your bodies to your families!" Star hollered her vow, muscles tense.

For Shigaraki, he felt his mind was fuzzy and static. "What a weird sensation... I know for a fact I'm Tomura Shigaraki, but at the same time... |I am undoubtedly myself|," His voice croaked with a familiar, synthetic inflection of Kovik's. He shrugged off the feeling, compressing energy into his left hand as a small hole appear on his palm, sucking in the air. "NARA Density fifty percent, Radio Waves, Push, Load-Up..." "Ever since waking up I've been like this constantly..."

"Dodge!" Star yelled, leaping off the jet as it dived and the formation widened its circumference as a titanic wave of compressed air peeled back the clouds with a red electromagnetic haze mingled within the cone-like blast.

"Who d'you think's gonna get the first touch in, Ms. America!?" Shigaraki grinned ear to ear, the wind caught in his air as he flew back from the shockwave.

"Even if I knew what other hidden abilities you had in store for me, I would have no need to prepare for them, that's what it truly means to be the strongest here, boy!" Star declared, now residing on Commander Bravo's jet once more as she closed her fist in the air in front of her. "[Atmosphere] The atmosphere here to a hundred meters in front of me, will cease to exist!" Her command was set, and a large star-shaped vacuum appeared, centered around Shigaraki. "Now perish!"

He recoiled and gagged on the lack of oxygen, the blood vessels in his eyes felt like they were about to pop, and his lungs short of collapsing as he heaved on nothing. "What a horrifying quirk!" But he couldn't help but crack a faint grin. "I wAnT iT...!"

"Any freak who's able to come all the way up here, surely wouldn't be finished by just that!" Star bellowed, ushering her men forward. "Lasers!" From several angles, high-density beams of light burrowed into the vacuum, burning into Shigaraki's body.

~Direct hit, I think I brought him down!~ ~You idiot, I was the one who hit him first!~

Star didn't share her allies' enthusiasm, in fact, her eyes widened slightly in annoyance at the bubbling light in the center of the star. "It's not over yet!"

Shigaraki remained hunched in the air, his body unscathed by the lasers gathering into a cluster at his chest with his arms looking oddly reflective, even more so for his cybernetic. "Reflection, Refraction," Bouncing the plasma between his arms, he flung them wide, unleashing a barrage of smaller blasts to pierce the sky.

One struck Star and Stripe but she caught in her palms. "I can hold lasers!" The star-shaped vacuum, however, was gone.

What little damage done on contact via the beams revealed what was beneath the cloak. Shigaraki's body was covered in a similar barding to the Splicers. Only all black, with a few wires twisting around his right shoulder and bicep, the skin left exposed was pulsing red again, and the burns and blemishes across his face had healed in seconds. "The vacuum's come undone, is this the limit of New Order?" He pondered, feeling his bones creak as he built up energy behind his arms and wings, with a sonic boom, he raced toward Star before long.

"A super powerful aerial maneuverer!" Star spun around, launching off the jet to intercept with a solid punch to Shigaraki's jaw, using his own momentum against him. "Hah! Just where I wanted you to be, Tomura Shigaraki!" She kept the distance tight as she spoke. "A long time ago, I was saved by a Japanese exchange student when I was with my family near Santa Monica Pier... a runaway villain attacked us in our car, as I welcomed my death, I only had one thought left, 'someone atleast save my sister!'," The image of a young, buff man standing between Cathleen and the villain stained her mind eternally.

"Since then, those two long strands of hair have been engraved into my soul! He became my spiritual master! So, in order to contribute with even greater force towards the maintenance of world peace, I styled my hair just like this, but instead... with eight long strands!" She landed back on a passing jet, turning up to face Shigaraki who recovered from the blow, his bones snapped back in place by NARA, but his face was shrouded in shadows, biting his chipped lips.

"Everywhere I go it's always about All Might!" He growled, if there was a name that bothered him more than Yuki Azuru or Izuku Midoriya, it was that awful name.

Star smiled, but her look, the sheer expression on her face held not a shred of remorse for the silverette, "That's why he's the Symbol of Peace. Oh, and by the way, I've both touched you and said your name," In Shigaraki's eyes, pure fear struck his heart, thundering once in his ears. "If Tomura Shigaraki were to move even an inch from this point onwards... his heart will stop."

It was over. He... was caught.

In the dark recesses of his mind, a two pairs of hands pulled at his body, a head in the shape of a pyramid was infused partially to Shigaraki's own body, the manifestations of himself and Kovik were on the verge of splicing. "Can't you feel it? NARA is reacting to us even as we speak. Our bodies are undergoing the final stages of our evolution, your hatred has given you no limits on what you can accomplish while I directed it, when we combine that bloodthirsty rage and my knowledge will reach not a new limit but an entirely different being!"

"Together, we will become more than Kovik and Tomura, something beyond quirks and humanity, a festering abyss is growing, embrace it!"

"Graaaaaah!" Shigaraki howled in anger, the sight snapping Star from her focus.

"Is he not Tomura Shigaraki!?" If that were the case, this battle... was only going to get harder. In a flash of dark red, a massive wave of nanomachines sparked in the sky. "NARA Density!" Recalling the young girl's words, she leapt back as the jet made a sudden jerk to evade, the others scattered in tandem with each other as the clouds in a wide radius were blown away by an electrical storm, the red haze beginning to settle with a harsh, hot wind blowing through Star's hair. "His body suddenly produced that much energy, what's this punk's deal!?"

In the clearing wisps of clouds, Shigaraki grinned darkly, "I finally understand how your New Order works! It may be known as the strongest quirk, but it has its limits!"

"While there's no limit on how much a rule can incapacitate someone, powering up a living, physical body has a limit, or else she would have killed me with one punch right from the start," In his mind, Shigaraki thought of Infernal using a large barometer in place of Star and Stripe. "So maybe it's like a barometer she can set at will? If so, why not after she touched the air say, 'if your touching the air in this designated area you will die'? New Order probably can't arbitrarily involve things she hasn't touched, or it won't be as effective,"

The realization dawned on him. "She seems to boast the most amount of freedom with non-living things than with living ones, that is the essence of New Order! It probably correlates with naming the target, and that both targets must have the same sense of understanding behind the name being said. Ms. Stars identified me as 'Tomura Shigaraki'... but what I am is now unclear, am I Tomura Shigaraki? Or Kovik? Or am I Tenko Shimura?" Shigaraki saw himself with a younger version tugging his right arm, and Kovik to his left, splitting him in two directions.

Slowly, the pieces came together, forming one concrete notion in Shigaraki's mind, "She can impose a rule on animate objects which have an 'Identity' by calling out their name. But that object must also recognize themselves by that Identity," Again, he thought of Infernal, seeing him explode from her rule used against Shigaraki moments before. "And for inanimate objects, Ms. Star is able to one-sidedly impose a rule based on her perception of it," The air and lasers were a good example. "Can she really only have two rules active at once? How big is her range? Can it really effect NARA too?"

A playful smile of excitement peeled over Shigaraki's face. "Aaaaah, I wonder what it can really do! I want to try it out so bad... I just can't wait," With this, One For All would be an afterthought, just as NARA made SIVA obsolete.

~What do we do now Star? Neither New Order nor the concentrated laser beams seem to have any effect on that regenerating freak!~ The pilot asked as she studied her target atop his craft, standing in a position to look like she was surfing.

There was only one other method she could consider, it would be a heavy cost on her part, but she didn't care, not when she was staring at this monster in the sky. "...convey this to Commander Ackbar!" She announced, stating her plan as the pilot's eyes widened, shooting his head toward Star above.

~Hold on a second! Even though we're already acting out of line, that's a bit too-~ She cut him off immediately.

"We have to use it here! That's what the special override exists for in the first place!" The look on her face was anything but hesitant, she wore a grave expression, the very idea of letting even a single slither of strength go unused against what she witnessed, what the world was witnessing, would be costly. "He is no longer just an enemy of Japan, he's a worldwide threat, I'll make sure to pulverize him in ways that are illegal in Japan, he has to die, now."

Her dark demeanour quickly disappeared with a wink to her comrade, "Anyways, until we're back on the ground, let me use you as a foothold alright? My brothers!"

~Good grief...~ Commander Bravo didn't know what to make of her at all sometimes. She abruptly became apart of their team and wasn't anything like the Pros in the US, she just always did her own thing. His hands clenched the controls, glowering straight ahead. "What a handful, this Number One Hero! Comin' through!" The jet shot past the others. "Move out of the way, this is Star's foothold!"

"Oh boy," Shigaraki adjusted his wings, gathering another compression of quirks. "One shot like before ought to do it..."

"There's nothing we can do with the current information with have about him! We have to engage and counterattack now!" She brought her fists tight against the air around her, power surging up into the sky. "The atmosphere will solidify and become a thousand times my size!"

Not a single person could see it, the very sky itself reshaping into an astronomical copy of Star and Stripe, her left arm drawn back in the deep blue sky. "FIST BUMP... TO THE... EARTH!"

"I can't see anything, but something strange is..." Shigaraki didn't know what hit him, literally and figuratively, the colossal left hook broke so many bones he couldn't begin to count, sent flying away from the fighter jets as the mountainous hands clapped with Star's palms, collapsing Shigaraki between her palms, splitting a massive clear ring from the sea of white clouds below, revealing the ocean once more.

"If you will not tell me your name nor respond to my rules, then... I'll crush you into pieces!" She resolved, feeling her arms buckle. Her hold was already slipping. "He's hard as hell! My brothers, fire your lasers on me!"

On reflex, the burning rays of plasma burrowed against her body, gathering at her fingertips. She was roughed up from the impact, but her control was resolute, forming her hands to grasp the light and reshape it's mass. "Harden and Concentrate the lasers into one beam!" She stretched them like a pole in her hands, that same energy gathering in a one-thousand times scale in her atmosphere clone's palms. Raising both arms high, the clouds were ripped away, the sword touching the exosphere. "ULTRA HIGH POWER UNIFICATION LASER-!"

Shigaraki hadn't the time to evade, there was simply nowhere to run as glaring light filled his eyes. "-KREAUNOS!"

The hiss and collision was unlike that of any attack Shigaraki had felt before, his body was ground through the ocean and down to the seabed, the water evaporated or sent flying from the impact that kept burning deeper into the water. The sheer force shook the sky but Star maintained total concentration. ~Sustain convergent firing on the high powered lasers! He's sure to burn up soon!~

"Not yet! This is just to keep him in place!" Star warned, her hands felt like they were on fire but she remained steadfast. "If he's defeated by this, then there's no way Endeavor couldn't have defeat Kovik during the war! They're one in the same now!" If made sense, why her rules no longer applied. Kovik and Shigaraki were no longer two entities. "If we cannot defeat Shigaraki, then those two will become unstoppable!"

~Star!~ A new voice rang through the comms.

"Ackbar, Sir!" She exclaimed.

~I've gotten negligent dealing with your selfishness, however, this time, it won't end with just your Hero Licence being revoked-~ He made his stance perfectly clear, but with the intensity of the battle, Star couldn't honestly care if he just insulted her mother, her mind was more on the reason he was calling.

"Do whatever you want! So? What about the preparations!? Are they done!?"

~You only have one shot. Japan has already been contacted, It should be arriving soon~ Ackbar replied curtly.

"Perfect!" She managed a wide smile, this was their only chance left, she wouldn't waste it. The whole world was watching.

~You don't abide by any rules, you're hasty and selfish...~ Her commanding officer let out a long-winded sigh. ~Yet, that is the reason our country shines. Even All Might couldn't capture this villain, it's time for you to surpass him, Cathy. It's name is Tiamat. Make sure to make every single one count~

From afar, several hypersonic missiles were closing in fast. ~Incoming! Are you gonna touch the Hypersonic Ballistics?~ A piolet asked.

"Yeah, but I gotta let go of the laser rule! Try to focus the lasers and bury him into the ground!" Star commanded. The lasers immediately trained on the crater in the ocean, it wasn't a strong as the combined might with New Order, but it would hold just long enough for their plan to work.

~Okay, Star, clear to engage while we're wearing down his super regeneration!~ ~Pummel him with all the firepower you got, NOW!~ ~Far out! It's as if...~

Down on the seabed, Shigaraki was burning up, his body's flesh and bone wrapped up with wires and thread, muscles forming at an alarming rate as he slammed his hands into the charred earth, digging himself from the crater. "As if this will hold me down... guess now we're both going in on a gamble!"

"Let's End This/Shitty Back And Forth!" The two spoke at once.

"On my mark!" She flung her arm hand back, clutching the radiant blade with her left. The mountainous form mirrored her. "Three!" The fighter jets swarmed into position. "Two!" The missiles were now caught in the area where the sky formed into her giant state. "One!" She leapt forward from the jet, fist clasped around the missiles while her sky form shifted sharply, she lost the plasma sword, but the energy was sustained for only a few seconds more. "Before my arms blow off, even with just a finger, so long as I can set the rule..." "Tiamat will rotate around!" She released, and the missiles followed the colossus' movements as Star spun through the air.

~FIRE!~ Commander Bravo bellowed, and a stream of steady lasers pummelled Shigaraki's location, a shadow leaping toward the assault head-on.

"STATE-OF-THE-ART HYPERSONIC INTERCONTINETAL CRUISE-!" The air construct bent with her, swinging a fist carrying the sheer force of humanity's strength behind it toward the earth. "-PUNCH!"

*Bzzt-BOOOOOOOSH!*

A secondary explosion followed the first, expanding the already sizable dome that could be seen from the coastline of Japan, turning the blue sky into orange and yellow, a massive rumbling tremoring through the earth with the might of a sun. The whole area around Star was a blur of smoke, heat, and wind. She flew backward, maintaining a watchful eye on the impact zone as the explosion dissipated, leaving behind nothing but a gargantuan crater that ocean was in haste to refill, rubble sent flying through the sky.

Star's eyes were pins in her sockets, there was a human-sized hole in the center, and flying from it was an unholy sight. Shigaraki was a mangled corpse of flesh and wires, his insides weren't even flesh anymore, most of his innards were now the internals of a machine, say for his lungs and heart which remained intact. His face was shredded and broken down, revealing parts of his skull, one eye an empty socket burning with red light, the other swarmed by NARA. His wings mere bursts of red energy against the skeletal remains of his wings. What unsettled Star the most, however? He gave her the widest grin humanly possible while set ablaze.

"I figured she was up to 'something', from our battle it's clear she can only use two rules, but on top of that, she's been hunting for a way to beat me in one fell swoop with that 'something'," He grimaced a bit. "And wasn't that 'something' a little excessive!? But so long as I can get out of the way before it hits me directly I can handle it," An diagram of a himself using Decay to dive below the surface was shown. "The moment the battle was to change in her favour I used Decay to dive deep underground, had I been a millisecond off it would've probably been fatal. That was close, what a gamble!"

~What did he use as a decoy!?~ One fighter asked, spotting the dark creature falling from the point of impact. Their flesh was dripping with black goo and mist wrapped around the points it started to regenerate, wheezing through a toothy grin.

"Wasn't that... a little much, boss? I think my solids are liquids now..." Infernal wheezed, coughing up embers as he collapsed into the ocean with a soft splash.

Shigaraki spared the Nightmare no mind, slitting his good eye at Star who was moving to land properly again. "Don't you get it now? Why I said this is a shitty back and forth?"

Several fighter jets circled close to intercept Shigaraki. ~Cover Star!~ ~Return to squadron formation! We have to remain as Star's footholds!~

"As if I'd let you kill |US|," It didn't matter, as within a blur of red light, several rings expanded behind Shigaraki, the force knocking the jets from his flight path as he passed them in seconds without so much as a loss in trajectory. Shigaraki continued, brushing off the plume of flames that blanketed him again. "If I weren't your enemy, my life would have ended before I could even get the chance to complain about |OUR| lack of strength!"

Landing on the wing of Commander Bravo's jet, Shigaraki stood up as his skin and muscle reformed over his body, soon followed by new clothing to patch up what remained of his trousers. "|I'll make sure, to put your quirk to a better suited use|!" Kovik snarled behind Shigaraki's manic smile.

Bravo, on the other hand, wasn't about to let that happen, ~Do it now, Star! In the state he's in it'll surely be enough!~ He knew exactly where he was, but that only made his desperate voice louder. He knew fine rightly, her giant atmospheric form was holdings its hands out between them. ~Crush him with us, the explosion will blow him to bits!~ But she didn't respond, staring down at Bravo and Shigaraki. ~STAR!~ He screamed for her, to sacrifice his life to stop this monster at whatever cost.

"Well, that seals the deal!" "Looks like Star ain't so good at increasin' her own strength!"

A few laughs echoed around her distraught pout. Her knees were tucked up to her chest, arms around them as she sported a few patches to cover up her injuries. She hated this, at knowing her strength would never surmount to the level of power All Might possessed, the raw physical prowess of her idol was unmatched.

"At first, it seems like a quirk that can do anything, but there's a limit to how much I can strengthen myself,"

It was her and her squad in a gym, they trained and she was recovering from a test of her enhanced strength via New Order. Ultimately, she had failed to reach the expectation she wanted, again.

"No matter what rule I used, the result would remain the same."

"Those that knew me personally used to say, 'One's quirk is often limited by their innate abilities, I wonder if it's because you're a woman, Cassie',"

Those times sounded like humorous thoughts, but they stung when in the face of reality. Her power was limited, and she blamed it on everything about herself. Her actions, dreams... her own body. It was a cycle of self-destructive thoughts that plagued her for years, and when she saw that limitation first hand? It made her sick to her stomach.

"What a load of crap," One of her squad mate's tisked, holding down his beer. "It ain't you, it's the quirk that's lackin', if you can't do somethin', leave it to us! We're all human after all," He nudged her arm to pep her spirit up. "Right now, you're plenty strong, stop comparin' yourself to All Might,"

"Don't sweat it in tryin' to catch up with him!" "You both are already freakin' monsters!"

Their laughter rang out after that chilling comment, and Cathleen sat with a touched smile on her face. They didn't see her as anything special, nothing was 'wrong' about her or 'needed fixing'. She was just some goodie-two-shoes hero wanting to be the best like everyone else. She was their friend.

"Those guys... always had my back."

She smiled, her arms falling as Shigaraki's palm connected across her face. Shigaraki pulled his hand palm, sucking away her quirk gradually in the process of Decaying her body, ripping into her skin with NARA together. "It seems |WE'VE| won this bet!" They cried out in unison, it was over, her quirk would soon be taken away.

But Star's eyes snapped forward, "I, Cathleen Bate, will not decay!" Red lines traced her bulging veins and stopped, she would not die here. She had a promise to keep. She saw the young boy with an odd pattern of freckles on his cheeks clutching his hand around a girl's, her eyes burned with kindness but also experience, she offered her warnings and hope to Star. "Their struggles... will not be in vain!"

Flying away from the scene, Bravo couldn't believe his eyes. "She... covered for me..." He bowed his head in anguish, shaking his head. "YOU GODDAMN IDIOT!"

Despite stopping Decay, she felt it, her quirk was fleeing her body, "So, this is as far as I go... I've reached the upper limits of my physical enhancement..."

Shigaraki pulled back with a laugh full of triumph and jubilation, his body fully recovered. "Hahahahaha! I stole it! It's true, you really are an idiot |HUMAN FILTH|!" He watched as her body started to crumble, now without New Order, she wasn't immune, she was a quirkless runt. "I'm decaying your body with NARA at the same time as stealing your quirk, it's over, this is the beginning of the end," Now, both were speaking, raising their hands high. "NEW ORDER... THE ATMOSPHERE SHALL...!"

His words caught in his throat, inside his mindscape, Star and Stripe towered over them with a smile. His body bulged before bursting at several spots like a blood-filled balloon, ripping him apart from the inside. Shigaraki screamed in pain from the backlash, his skin would heal over only to erupt again with another spurt of blood. "What's going on, something's wrong!? My quirks are... rupturing!"

Bravo saw Star in the distance, her body crumbling away as she watched the horrific scene unfold. ~Don't tell me... Star!~

"New Order... will revolt against the other quirks and NARA's Core," Within Shigaraki, the manifestation of NARA was forced behind the entities representing their respective quirks as they fought with a cannibalistic beast that was the visage of New Order.

From within, Kovik could only watch as his creation was under attack by the monster. "That... Wretched Thief...!" It had to be her, only she would know of NARA and its Cores.

"The worst-case scenario is of my quirk being stolen and we were wiped out, I would've liked to have defended my body, but... I guess that's just Plus Alpha for you," She lamented, feeling her quirk deep inside the howling Shigaraki, tearing his powers apart. She didn't flinch when her body crumbled or the blood of her enemy stained her face. "What is my life... in exchange for stopping a world-wide threat?" Her friends were standing there, smiling at her she'd bet. "Thanks for all you've done, my brothers."

Shigaraki was bursting and healing so much he couldn't think straight, "New Order's cannibalizing them, destroying my quirks one by one, I need to give it away... one of the pilots, I have to give it to them!" His frantic search led him to the nearest line of jets, their weapons charged up as Shigaraki gasped.

~FIRE!~ The hellish bombardment surrounded Shigaraki, melting into his flesh. ~Star is still fighting him from within! It's working, he's gotten weaker! Sustain laser fire, don't let Star's sacrifice go to waste!~

Inside, Shigaraki felt another thread snap, New Order had torn it to pieces. "Reflect, it's collapsing...!"

"Because you saved me... I was able to experience... a wonderful dream..." Her whole body was about to fall apart, but Cathleen raised her right hand for a salute to her memories, to All Might, to her brothers. Giving them and the world her last, heartfelt smile. "If all else fails... you two will carry my wish with you... won't you...?" Those two have her faith with them. "All Might... this is my way... of paying you back..."

Her body crumbled into dust, her cape flying away in the wind.

Those of Star's team continued to pound away at Shigaraki's body, even as he moved to escape despite the bursts of flesh from his body. From the crashing waves below, a pillar of blue flames shot between two jets, forcing them to evade from pelting Shigaraki with more laser fire. Infernal huffed, glowering at them as he clenched several orange glyphs that melted into a molten blue. "I think we've had our fair share of fun today, now... Get. Lost." He swung his arms wide, producing long strands of blue plasma. "Infernal Hell Curtain!"

The unique variation on Endeavor's move left the jets little room to continue their assault on Shigaraki with Infernal flying close to his back even as it burst, staining his body in blood.

"|Get... out... of our... WAAAAAAY|!" Kovik screamed in Shigaraki's voice, sprouting wings to unleash an almighty blast to throw him from the Jets' line of sight entirely, in a single breath he had escaped with his crumbling body. Infernal simply zapped away with his master.

The jets all scrambled to stabilize from the shockwaves, cursing all the while. Bravo stared back at the calming sea, toward the horizon he last saw Star and Stripe give a final salute. "Star and Stripe... Star..." His eyes filled with regret and pain at the loss, closing them on the blue sky. "You surpassed him... a long time ago... you were already the greatest hero."

Somewhere in the boonies, a small apartment was crashed by the entrance of Infernal who landed on his backside, hissing from his wounds from that missile attack from before, and Shigaraki who was close to be reduced to a pile of flesh and bone had NARA not been working to overclock the core into sustaining Shigaraki's core vitals. He was in utter agony, his body down to his soul was screaming in pain as he reached for the nameless guy through the smoke. "I sTiLl HaVe A cHaNcE!"

"Ms. Star likely used New Order on the quirk itself, to be unable to coexist with other quirks, if that's the case, all I have to do is take some fodder's quirk, then transfer New Order to store it safely!" It was his best chance now, not just to survive but keep the power they needed to completely revoke any and all attacks from the heroes. Their victory was certai-

"You Fool," Star mocked within the Mindscape, watching as the quirks fled from her sight, some crushed beneath her feet as she approached the manifestation of Shigaraki and Kovik, both defending the NARA Core now cracked in several spots. "Thanks to you having soooo many quirks inside of you, I'm almost destroyed from fighting them all," Her hair fell out, her costume peeled with her skin down to her bones, they too started to flake and burn away. Say for two, piercing navy orbs in the black sockets. "It's a shame that I couldn't kill you, but remember this you nameless punks!"

The giant skeleton loomed over them, feasting on their defeat to the last of her spiritual strength. "As long as people are still willing to help each other, the will of a hero shall be passed on! And they will surely put an end to you!"

"You think that will stop me?" Kovik asked, watching the corpse be reduced to dust around him. "I've already come too far to go back now, if the will of heroes is born from cooperation of others, then I will snuff it out."

Day Three since Izuku and Co. had returned to UA...

"Delayed!?/Seriously!?" Katsuki and Rayla weren't impressed by the news brought to their feet early in the morning.

"Yes, originally, Shigaraki would've completed his body by tomorrow, but now, both he and Kovik will be unable to move forward with their plans for another week at the most, five days at the very least," All Might explained, but his right fist hadn't stopped clenching, he was shaking. "This final extension given to us, courtesy of Star and Stripe, use this time wisely,"

Yuki and Izuku felt their hearts twist at the news, their hands joined in a silent thanks for her sacrifice for this chance. "For we must defeat Kovik and Shigaraki."

To Be Continued...

Loved the fight, hate the literal mountains of exposition between it, I mean, it's MHA so that's a given but Jesus Christ. So here's hoping I did alright, not much changed for the result of New Order but it's left a few interesting details that will be paramount in the final battle, oh, and the idea Shigaraki just threw Infernal like a ragdoll at the attack was just hilarious. He's an immortal punching bag when you think about it.

Still, two chapters remain for the Final Day's Arc, so I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Heroes!

Next Chapter Intermission: Steps Toward Perfection

"Can't believe the final battle's nearly here, feels like forever since we first met Kovik..." Yuki wondered out loud, staring up at the sky with Siva at her back. "What about you?"

"He is nothing like the Splicer I once taught, he's become more than a copy of me, he's... a monster," Siva shrugged his shoulder, unable to really find a correct word for Kovik. "It seems the class is fired up to use the time Star and Stripe bought us, let's not fail her kindness."

"Yeah," Yuki stood up, looking forward with a fire in her eyes. "Up next, Steps Toward Perfection - this one's for Ms. Star, Go Beyond-!"

"-Plus Alpha!" She and Siva declared, saluting with their right hand.