My Hero Academia Perfected Chapter 144: Salvation, a my hero academia/僕のヒーローアカデミア fanfic

Chapter 144 - Salvation

|Siege Engine Collison - 01:13:10|

[Yuki's POV]

The time I spent lead under Ceres' command, as well as other welcoming Guardians to a girl, who to them, was a liability without the Light, had taught me had to drone out the chaos around me, focused on only what I could see in front of me, of the people that surround me. Silvis' training as a real Splicer had opened up my eyes to the true state of machines, and the Siege Engine? It moved like a roaring river, all toward a single point, toward Kovik.

But not a shred of NARA touched the place before us.

Our new route took us longer than needed but locating the Incubator was easy now that I was looking at it. A large wall that slanted inward toward the ceiling, spotlights illuminated its surface but it felt like the light didn't help in making it any brighter. It was a black surface, a strange ripple pattern over the metal that I couldn't describe. And our comms had stopped working when we neared it, I don't think the others realized that yet.

"This place definitely screams 'sinister', gives me the chills," Miruko rubbed her bicep.

"Regardless of how off putting it is, this is where we obtain an augment that will ward off both Detainment and Decay, correct?" Endeavor asked me even though I wasn't facing him, my mouth felt dry.

"Yeah... this is what turned all those people into false Fallen, supressing their quirks to use as a template for the host to survive NARA's nanite density," I explained as simply as possible, motioning toward the doorway... I think? It was hard to tell with this structure. "I'll need samples of NARA closely connected to the original source in Kovik, thankfully... a certain someone waged a one-man war and aquired them for me," My flat gaze fed through my mask as I stared at Izuku who smiled warily.

"You're... never letting me live that down, huh?" He scratched the back of his head as I approached, shaking my head.

"Nope," I supressed a laugh as he slumped, accepting how stupid he was to do so but I'm thankful all the same that he never gave up. From a small bag around his lower back, he procured what we needed. Four NARA clusters appeared in his hands to me, alongside the one I held from Hansuke. All five Barons, splintered from Kovik, and teeming with a sinister frequency that was awfully familiar to the structure behind me. "Thank you," He offered them to me, then closed his hands and mine around them.

Izuku's expression was one of tenderness. He had gone into great detail explaining to me how every Baron was a person warped by Kovik's offers and words under Drevis. All of them were taken advantage of at their lowest, even a child, that part made my blood boil the most. I carefully held them in my hands, nodding to him that I'd make sure they were given a real use now. He smiled again, and my worries were gone.

"Now then, let's crack this thing open," Hawks stepped forward, drawing his katana as his hand reached to grove across the door. But it suddenly shifted apart as two diagonal pieces, sliding into the doorframe. "...or it can ominously let us inside, that too,"

"Kovik wants us to jump right in..." Katsuki grunted but I didn't believe it was. Kovik wouldn't really leave this place unguarded, would he?

Endeavor took the lead, stepping forward with Hawks as they flanked to the sides of the doorway inside. We moved through quickly with Miruko watching the entrance for us, but then it all became far more unsettling. The interior was shaped like a pyramid. There was only a single rectangular platform roughly the size of a table made of the same black metal. Resting atop the surface were four black obelisks on every corner, between the two right and two left was a field of orange light weaved with a ghostly pale aura. The sense of uneasiness spread throughout the chamber.

|There's no way...! | This place... this structure...! | The same... don't you remember it?| Siva's tone was erratic as I paused on the steps, worry split my hidden features as I recalled where I've seen this before. Not from my memories, but of Siva's. This place... it was the same as back then, centuries ago on a planet lost to time.

Like a ball of lead in my throat, I found my voice, "...it's a relic of the Darkness..." I felt all eyes glue to me as my whole body trembled slightly from the sight of the place we stood.

"It's not your fault, but... we have to use it," I replied reluctantly, stepping forward until a hand grabbed my arm, Izuku watched me with bated breath.

"Yuki, please be careful," He knew it had to be done, but I can see he was worried for what we'd have to endure. I moved the clusters into my right arm, then patted his hand with my left, pulling my mask back to my temple to smile, to help put some of that panic to rest.

He lowered his hand from mine and I made my way down the steps when Katsuki watched me with that cautious glare of his, if he wanted to object, his eyes told me he understood but didn't like it. As for the flaming hero I passed... "We will intervene if something happens, regardless of why we came here," That sounded like it was non-negotiable, so I just nodded and moved on, we didn't have time to argue, we needed Anti Barrier and I wasn't going to turn away now.

Everyone was fighting for their lives, trying to face either their own demons or settle scores, all to buy us as much time as possible to confront Kovik and Shigaraki before out whole world ended.

We've been waiting for you

My head spun around to my allies, eyes the size of pins. Who... said that? But the words didn't come out, instead, I scanned the environment but there wasn't another person to be seen. A voice, it was distant and eerie, but it flooded my mind like a haunting spirit brushing through my body. Slowly, I craned my head back to stare back at that ominous structure. If Siva heard it, he wasn't speaking.

Come closer, do not be afraid

"Yuki...?" Izuku murmured but I didn't respond, moving toward the Incubator with trepidation.

Once close, I brought forth the Cores, seeing them beginning to float toward the platform as I gingerly held my hands over the black surface, it was... calling to me... it... it wants me to use it. Feeling SIVA flow through my bones, I reached out, it was only for a second... but... it was so much longer than that...

...

The light returned to my eyes as quickly as it was taken. My feet stumbled across a strange hillside of iridescent grass, or crops? I wasn't sure. The sky was... beautiful, pastel coloured trees of various colours to stand out against the grass, the sky was a light pink, fading into green with the sun. Two large lakes were in the distance. A could feel pure ether when I breathed, it was oddly refreshing.

I followed his gaze, and there, looming in the sky, was a single, black pyramid, floating ominously, watching us. I still questioned how we got here, and why Riis wasn't, you know, blown to bits or something. But I got my answer via a pounding voice that resounded from the field ahead of me as I stood down at the top of the hill. "You Made It," It was like it spoke in several voices, but I recognized my own in there, the most prominent one.

Stepping through the field was an identical likeness of me. She pressed the tips of her fingers together, walking in stride toward us. I had the urge to grab my swords, but they weren't there, so instead, I kept my fists balled up tight as She approached. "Who are you...?" She seemed to smile at that, stepping up the hill as I took a few steps back.

She then motioned to Herself rather openly as if She was enjoying this, "Do you not recognize us?"

"I've seen a mirror, yes," I replied curtly but that only made Her smile remain.

"You have struggled against foes that have taken so much from you, your life, and the ones you love, hurt time and again," She replied, shaking Her head. I just narrowed my eyes. "Even now, people chip away at your sacrifices, you give and give, and yet you ask nothing in return, they expect as much from you," That made my eyes flicker with hesitation. "You know it to be true, we understand your struggles, your goals are admirable but they do not see that, they see a pawn to be discarded afterward,"

"No... they wouldn't do that," I snapped back, refusing to listen to that fact. "My friends are fighting tooth and nail with me,"

She cocked her head slightly, "And yet, they abandoned you when Vosik dragged you away, when he snuffed out your life, when you were forced to flee your home, taking others that have suffered too with you. Some blame you for the pain others had to endure, and again, you allow them to tear pieces from you, to give you no moments rest," The more She spoke, the harder it was to ignore. Selfishly, yeah, I did hate people that saw me that way, it wasn't my fault Kovik did the things he did. But I was the best scapegoat for them. But that doesn't mean I'll just turn around and look the other way as he does what he wants.

"But we see more in you," She gestured with a smile and offered hand. "We wish to see you rewarded, so you may finally take control,"

Siva disappeared when something cold wrapped around my body, starting from my feet. I snapped my head down and gasped, but was unable to move as a dark purple crystal substance crawled from my knees to my waist. I stared at my hands, the same effect overwhelming my senses. I quickly tried to force SIVA to function, but like with Detainment, I... I couldn't feel it! The crystals were spreading to my chest and toward my neck as I shakily glowered at myself waiting with a curious gaze.

"Who... what are you...?" My voice was barely above a whisper, my head was... so fuzzy... I... I can't think...

We are not your friend. We are not your enemy. We are your...

Her eyes glowed as black as the void.

Salvation

Like tethers in my mind, I felt my mouth clog over with the cold material, my arms and legs felt like a ton of lead now... Temptation... it was lulling me... That chilling presence dug into my heart, burrowing into my scales and deep into my bones. This... was this what Kovik felt...?

That's it, sink further to understand. To rise from the Deep

Soon it will all be clear

No longer will you be a pawn. No longer will you watch the lives of those you care for be lost

...stop it...

Remember, in Darkness there is only Strength

...you're wrong...

Only Victory

...no...

Only Life

...

No! "Shut... Up!" In just as much time as it appeared, the crystal surface around me shattered into thousands of pieces around me, freeing my body as I drew from nothing my duel Quickfang. Behind me, the visages of Halimaka, Yarath, Zarlik, Selas and Freksos in their uncorrupted forms manifested, creating cracks in this false representation of Riis. The longer I resisted, the more that split apart this memory like glass. "I am not your Pawn, or anyone else's! I... We were always free!" In a flash, my armour completely covered me, shielding me from the Darkness' influence. "All you are is a ghost of the Darkness, the relic's temptation on those that use it, Kovik might've believed you but I am through with people twisting my life around!"

I drew back both swords, Void energy swirling around their edges. "LET. ME. OUT!"

With a combined Whirlwind Blade, the whole world fell away as I slammed my blades through the Incubator below, splitting the twisted relic in two as the obelisks collapsed around me, my heavy breaths the only sound to be heard. Footsteps behind me shook the tremors out of me. "Yuki!" Izuku immediately threw his arms around me that I almost fell on my backside. I smiled graciously, wrapping my arms around him to feel that warmth and security again. "You just touched the surface and then suddenly drew your swords and smashed it!"

He pulled back to stare at me with a bewildered expression, the others shared various degrees of that. I guess that makes sense, all of it was the Incubator's temptations. I glanced back at the destroyed relic, then shrugged. "Well... atleast no one else can use it, good thing too," They looked like they wanted answers but didn't press as I stood back, holding out my left hand. "But..."

There, for all to crowd around and see, was a single black cluster. It was thinner, the top and bottom points sharper with the distinct glowing lines now a similar shade of orange to the light the Incubator gave off. "This is it, the Anti Barrier augment," I smiled, thanking those of the Barons for this. With little effort, I absorbed the mass into my body, and within seconds, the newly acquired upgrade became fundamentally clear. "Okay, let's try this,"

I waved my hands for everyone to back away a bit, then, I gathered two auras of orange light around my fists as it made a low wind-up noise, black nanomachines moving in a strange pattern around my fingers before I threshed my arms wide, expanding a large dome of orange light over the others. There, a small shimmer of orange rested on their shoulders before disappearing, but upon closer inspection, SIVA picked up on the signature of the augment.

"Did it work then?" Hawks asked, checking himself over.

"Yeah, now we'll be ready for whatever they throw at us, though I'm not certain it can withstand the likes of Escalation Judgement, it should help mitigate the damage," It wasn't certain since our only field test was with the big bad himself, but beggar can't be choosers. Still, despite that, Endeavor eyed me curiously. "What?"

"Tampering with that device, what did you see?" While it sounded like a demand, having heard this hot head lose his cool plenty of times I understood.

Reluctantly, I admitted to what I saw. About showing up in a false reality of Riis, home planet of the Eliksni, the pyramid ship that belonged to the Darkness, of my copy being a manifestation of it, and the strand crystal stuff it tried to trap me in. Various expressions were seen, but only worry crossed Izuku's, or atleast, he was the most visibly distraught. "Look, it's not a big deal, like I said, its more than likely the side effect of the Incubator, and if I had to guess, that's what caused Kovik to become so... frantic,"

"That does line up with how he spoke before, not to mention working so closely to people not turned into Fallen," Miruko shrugged, "Still, though, that was pretty freakin' risky,"

"While I'm not sure on it being the direct cause for his willingness to work with people, all the other oddities in his personality seem like they were due to exposure to the Darkness," I smiled, looking past them to the doorway. "We can worry about any lingering effects on me later, right now, we have to stop this Siege Engine, right?"

"Agreed," Endeavor looked reluctant but didn't say. "For now, we'll use this augment to combat Kovik and Shigaraki directly before any reinforcements impede us,"

"The route shouldn't be too tricky to follow now, all just hallways and such," Miruko agreed, grinning madly. "I've got a score to settle with that tin can for my legs," She stomped one of her cybernetics to emphasize her point.

"About time that wannabe boss gets a taste of his own medicine down his throat!" Katsuki huffed a challenging smirk as I and Izuku sweatdropped.

"Never a dull moment..." Izuku voiced as I nodded. Then I thought to Siva as he materialized before me.

"You okay?" Since his connection cut out during the Incubator I was worried SIVA might have been compromised by the new augment.

"Then let's not keep him any longer - huh?" I was pulled back by Izuku's hand again, just out of eyesight from the others as he pressed his lips to mine for a second, then his smile became far more determined that it made my heart tick faster. "W-what was that for?" Not that I'm complaining.

"Just happy you're safe," He squeezed my right hand, pulling me up the steps to leave this cold, dark place. "Ready?"

"With you? Always," Squeezing back, he and I ran from the Incubator's room, slipping my mask back down to study the map laid out for us by Mirio taking the vanguard yet again. By the clear strokes from his flight path, our destination wasn't far. Time was ticking, and we hadn't a second to lose.

Our search for the way to the observation wing of the Siege Engine progressed smoothly, I kept close to Izuku, though I'd never say it, the relic of the Darkness had shaken me a little more than I realized. I knew it was simply using my own doubts to try and coax me into submitting to its temptation. But Kairi had said to me about the events that followed my exile, some tried to pin the same scorn on Nana just because she was related to me. In the end, when the dust settles, there will be people that will hate me, and consider me the fault for everything Kovik has done. But not once will I consider giving up on who I am. I'm above that now.

~We've been enjoying your struggles so far, really-~ All our head snapped up at the ceiling, the voice of that awfully familiar tone echoing down the dark halls as we entered a sever room, the red glow across the pathways and from the towers making the shadows shift and jump around us. ~-while we are enemies, we can't help but admire your tenacity~

"Kovik..." I growled, feeling Izuku's hand tighten around my palm.

"Sounds like Shigaraki too..." Hawks mused. That could only mean one thing...

"They've merged," Katsuki huffed, eyes glancing between the neatly arranged stacks of computers.

~The struggles and triumphs we've achieved, this game has run through many paths, all converging toward the final boss, you can't tell us it doesn't excite you? So close to ending this battle, to achieving the worlds each side desires~ Kovik/Shigaraki spoke as one while we made our way through to the final room on our map, where Mirio waved to us but he wore a frown, clearing hearing the broadcast too.

A cold air brushed past me, completely contradicting the steady heat from the sever room. It was large as we entered from a short hallway at the point of a diamond. The corners were too dark to see, but there were square white tiles that lit up in the same formation as the walls ahead of us. Beyond them a large hole was visible in the ceiling with a raised platform to indicate an elevator. Above, only darkness could be seen, even with the lights fixed into the floor. Up there, I felt only smaller than any other point in my life. An ominous presence was forcing NARA to converge on that location. However...

"Great, a barrier," Hawks sighed, flying up to tap a finger off the lilac-blue surface as it hissed. He landed soon after. "Gotta be a power source somewhere, right?"

"More than likely..." Endeavor turned to me. "Aksis, can you-"

"Search through NARA? Got it," I wiggled my fingers to put my sense of technology to the test again. I pressed my hand to the nearest wall, and when I felt a strand of NARA brush to my fingertips, that was when it all flooded into me, the floodgates were unable to close...

The screams of the Eliksni rang far and wide, their battle cries and death songs were a horrific mixture that Kovik couldn't describe. All of it clung to his ears as he finished off a human farmhand that now laid in a puddle of blood, impaled upon his sword. But Kovik's eyes weren't to the corpse at his blade, nor the pitchfork the man had punctured his forearm with. Rather, the Splicer's eyes fell to his leader, his Captain as he crumbled to the ground, bullets rang out, piercing his body and skull.

A single man with strange blue skin, an Awoken, had dealt the killing blow. What made Kovik's eyes widen beyond measure, was the strange, floating machine at his shoulder, it appeared from thin air, and... it used a light to heal the man's wounds as he knelt beside a woman and a young human's corpse. That light... it was... the Great Machine's...

"|No...|" With a growl, Kovik quickly retrieved his blade, seeing the other Devils flee over the walls, without their leader, and with the loses they already sustained, it would be a fool's death to stay. Kovik passed the Awoken one final look, more importantly, the floating entity with the Great Machine's power, then fled for the wall.

Another memory flew by...

Dozens of Devils, Kings, and Winter were burned. Their corpses littered the ground, their banners in tatters as the battle began to turn. Kovik sat alongside his mentor, Aksis, as they watched their Kell crumble, dying at the hands of a male Lightbearer who slammed his head into his until their Kell stopped twitching. The blood of their Kell dripped down the monster of their kin, The Saint, turned his eyes to them.

"|We must flee, now!|" Aksis tugged on Kovik's arm, but the young Splicer continued to stare at the beast that watched them. Many times, Kovik heard the tales of The Saint, of what he did to their Houses. If anything divided the Eliksni upon entering this system, it was Him. "|Kovik, now!|"

"|...right|" He muttered, retreating as bullets flew over their heads. The Kells of Kings and Winter had fled with their remaining allies, radio chatter of retreat and panic became numb in Kovik's ears. He saw it, those 'Guardians' that fell and didn't rise... their 'Ghosts' weren't so invincible, rather, the Lightbearers themselves were fallible. They can be killed.

"|This isn't over...|" Kovik assured to himself, sprinting to catch up with Aksis who ran to the aid of the Devils still caught in the crossfire. Kovik did the same, following his mentor's example. Even as bullets dug into his battered armour, he refused to let another of his kin die.

Then another memory formed...

"Let. Him. Go!" The Lightbearer in red and black warned Kovik, aiming her gun straight at his head alongside one in regal robes, he too raised his large machine gun to the Splicer who held his blade close to the Lightbearer's throat, crushing him against his arms. How easily they could be slaughtered, even with their Prime Servitor laying in a heap of fiery metal behind him, he didn't budge. Their Light was supressed here, one stroke of a blade through this man's throat would be the end of it.

"The Great Machine's gift... is not yours to claim, so... we will use it against you," He referred to the red nanites clawing into his body, he felt stronger, no longer starved for ether. Soon, they would be beyond anything these Guardians could become. "My Kell... will slaughter you all... your Light... cannot save you this time,"

A skiff flew in overhead, and when Kovik saw the winch swing down, he threw the hooded Lightbearer into the female's hands as she stumbled, wrapping her arms around him tightly while the robed one open fired on Kovik. But with SIVA, those bullet wounds were mere scratches as the skiff pulled him away from the Lair. One day, they'd reclaim it.

The final memory revealed it all...

All the memories Kovik endured faded away, so many had passed and he stood there, shoulders slumped in defeat with his head low. He too was on Riis again, but it was a ravaged world. The sky was twisted and pinched with dark streaks of light, the sun had died, turning into a bleak surface with dark orange cracks. The lakes were dried up or tainted, the distant cities burning, the crops and trees crushed or blackened. The air clung with ether infused with Darkness.

An exact copy of Kovik stood before the real one, He spoke with the same tones that met Yuki. "Your cries for acceptance from a silent God have gone unnoticed. You pledged yourself to your brothers and sisters and yet you are considered 'Fallen'," He spoke, fingertips pressed together. "We wish to see that your struggles are not in vain, if He does not see worth in your strife, then we will offer you more, strength, beauty, truth."

"I... I only want my home... my people to prosper again," Kovik's voice rose, closed his fists tightly. "The Great Machine... it ruined us, we became dependant on its strength, and it failed us... gave its power to the Lightbearers... so I stole their creations, and then..."

"Humanity stole it from you again," The Entity replied, and Kovik's eyes burned with hatred.

"I will snuff out the Light, I will crush the Great... no, that False God between my fingers. I will use its secrets and rebuild my people," He looked right back at himself. "Whatever it takes, I will use whatever methods, disgrace myself, to reclaim what is ours!"

His copy seemed to like that answer, as the same dark crystals started to root themselves around his body. Kovik didn't flinch, he simply accepted it as the same, horrid words echoed far and wide.

Remember, in Darkness there is only Strength

Only Victory

Only Life

"You should've recognize me, should have understood me and realized just the sort of world you're stood in... the Eliksni's future will from then on be in my hands."

When I opened my eyes, I fought back the tears that had welled up, I... saw it all. Through Siva I witnessed the Whirlwind and all that followed, but through Kovik I saw the worst. Not just those last few memories, but the times the Eliksni travelled in search of the Traveller. They... he endured so much pain. And the Incubator saw that, it used that pain.

"Yuki?" Izuku grabbed my shoulder as I stumbled, holding me steady.

"What did you do, Aksis?" Endeavor asked, watching me skeptically.

~We're curious on how you did that, what was that power? Certainly not SIVA...~ Kovik/Shigaraki inquired, infinitely curious to what I had just seen. ~More and more, the humanity within you is slipping away, digging deeper into that of a machine's true essence. We're not certain that the 'Yuki' we've known is the 'Yuki' before us anymore~

"Don't listen to this echo-talking bastard, everything he says is just hot air..." Katsuki looking out for me in his own weird way again. But Kovik was right, I was balancing on a knife's edge constantly.

Yuki? | What is it you saw through NARA | I was cut off for a time...

"Kovik... the one speaking to us still holds some untainted strands of memory deep within his heart. Siva, you are the only remaining link to his past, just as OFA is the last link to AFO and Shigaraki," I explained, seeing a few strange faces look toward me.

"You... huh. What are you talking about?" Miruko was completely lost by her furrowed brow.

~What are you looking for? - What do you wish to see?~ Kovik/Shigaraki sneered slightly, he was starting to catch on as the dead nanites belonging to NARA crumbled around my hand, trying to tear SIVA apart when I made contact.

"You can't stop me." I warned with a stern glare. When we received no reply, Endeavor looked to me with a muddled face.

"Are you telling the truth?" He asked, almost hopeful that I just unveiled a key chink in NARA's armour.

I nodded, looking around at the walls that groaned and rumbled. "Why else would he let us get this far? It's not just about crushing the last of Japan's resistance, it's always been about SIVA and One For All. Kovik and Shigaraki will only truly die when they kill us with their own two hands." I had hoped my answer would make it obvious what was really going on, but Endeavor's brow creased.

"You've stopped making any sense." I had to resist the urge to face palm, huffing a sigh.

"Endeavor, the Kovik and Shigaraki taunting us haven't completely died yet. This Thing is still not yet in full control of their minds." From that, it appeared the hero finally clicked to what I was saying.

"That means... this isn't either of them, they're being manipulated!" Izuku gasped, finally catching on.

"Hm, that does explain the weird way they've been talking..." Mirio also seemed to understand, keeping his silence for the most part.

Kovik/Shigaraki? spoke up in a deep tone, ~Tell us more, Thief. Tell us how that outdated chicanery of yours, as absurd as it may be~

I just focused my glare to the monitors that hung around near the elevator. he probably watched us from them. "I told you, you were a tool to be used, the Darkness hasn't a single thread in this realm. You were a mistake that latched onto NARA," Revealing the truth gave me an odd sense of pride, feeling my lips curl up slightly.

~Mind-reading Thief... We never considered this. Even if you can read minds, you should not know these things. Where did you hear of them?~ They demanded but I remained calm despite the feeling of NARA all around us. But I was certain Anti Barrier would protect us.

I scoffed, "I'm not reading your mind. But the Kovik I know, the one Aksis knew, always bragged about his ability to be a step ahead, to use his enemies to his benefit. NARA, believe it or not, you've inherited Kovik's pride and Shigaraki's destructive mind, you're both of them now."

Again, silence ensued so I pressed further.

"All I saw were memories of what you've done, of what came before. I have no idea what you are thinking about right now, but I can feel their emotions through you. I glimpsed the secrets within your memories. I saw the curse that haunts their bodies since that day," I jabbed my finger up at the screens, with fury in my eyes. I wasn't afraid. "You are not either of them."

~I suggest you look out for your own skin before jumping to conclusions~ 'Nara' spoke coldly, then the screens flickered to life. ~Prattle on with whatever illusion brings you closure, the result of this day will remain unchanged from its current course~

All of us now stared wide-eyed at the sight before us, and I felt a gasp leave me. My Mom, Jura, and his friends were fighting tirelessly against Red Dragon, but... he looked completely withered, like NARA was bending him against his body's will, his eyes looked unnaturally dead despite the glow. Jin's team was much the same, they were stuck in the engine room, facing Drevis who looked exactly like Red Dragon, summoning lifeless copies to attack. Same for the deck, fighting that abomination of Dren and Vosik again. Where Shoto fled with the others, facing a copy of Infernal, Dabi nowhere to be seen as a Selas copy rose from the grave, attacking any in her sights. Even with Toga passed out behind Tsu and Ochaco, they faced that Fallen Captain alone. What was going on?

"I thought the Core was destroyed?" Katsuki wondered, blinking widely at the nightmare before us... being broadcasted constantly. He was sharing this with the world...

~The destruction of the Control Core, did you believe that was the end of our Splicers? The production has been slowed significantly, but so long as the progenitor remains, well, we believe you can read our memoires quite clearly on that matter, Thief~ I growled at Nara's taunting. ~How much longer can you hold on? Your warriors are falling. Were their sacrifices for nothing? Will you die meaninglessly to our nanotechnology today?
How is it? Can you still peep on others' thoughts without SIVA? Such a dirty little trick...~

~You claim to hold all the cards against NARA, against us, yet here you are, scrounging for last minute pieces to your crumbling army. You cannot do it, young false Splicer. You cannot destroy NARA nor lead these heroes to their victory. You are not a real Splicer or Devil. You're not even an Eliksni. You're just a little Thief~ Nara's words dug like hooks into my head and heart, he was trying to pull my resolve apart. The others were silent, they were waiting for me to say something, no pressure I guess. But him trying to pull my thoughts apart... it only made his clearer.

~You don't have the power to fight against your enemies. Should you try, you would be swiftly eradicated. Alternatively, you are just the newest toy of this society's false peace. Do you not feel anger or grief at being a disposable asset, Thief? You are an outsider the moment SIVA bonded to you. You cannot do anything but wait for others to take your life and your power. And with it, your entire being. We can do that for you. We will help you depart this world without the slightest trace of pain~

"Wow, how thoughtful..." It was hard not to roll my eyes. He certainly talked alot like Kovik, I'll admit that much.

His words are like venom | His mind an amalgamation of their thoughts | This is what SIVA had done to me before

"Nara... are you afraid?" One simple question completely shut him up.

"What?" Hawks blinked, clearly not following.

"You've said a lot, Nara, more than I think I was capable of listening to, but for the sake of amusement I guess," Okay, toning back on the smugness. "If any of what you've said is true, that I am worthless and just some disposable tool. If the dread you showed from time to time was not part of your performance... Then, I think I get it now."

I waved my arms wide at my allies, not a shred of doubt in my mind at our current objective. "You've become a manifestation of their thoughts and feelings, but deep down, you're afraid of SIVA, you fear me." Pressing that last line down hard made him pause.

~... an interesting thought. However, the time for jokes is over. we need some time to clean up the current act. This show has greatly exceeded expectations. For now, we will see if your words hold up to your actions. We admit, we've underestimated you. If you're correct in feeling our 'dread', then it means your strange ability is far too underdeveloped - we feel whatever we desire, memories can be shielded but emotions can be easily twisted to whichever form suits us~

"You're not lying, just proves my point. You're not either of the two, just a combination of events that birthed your consciousness," I shot back, but he laughed a little, though I'd hardly call it funny.

~ Should we give you some more time, so that you may dig out some other truth from our mind? Even so, you cannot prove anything. Our mastery over thoughts is such that none who have ever tried to comprehend them have ever succeeded. Doryu, Toga, Twice, all failed to grasp what we are~ I felt that cold weight closing around us, it got much darker as Izuku held his hand to my shoulder now to keep me steady.

~You can only feel emotions and the memories tethered to them through a strange connection to technology. But you cannot see my actual thoughts~ His voice grew heavy and sinister. ~Let this be a warning, Thief. You do not know us. You don't know Kovik nor Shigaraki. You fundamentally cannot comprehend us. How would you know who we are?~

"Does this guy ever stop talking?" Katsuki and Miruko grunted at the same time, both clearly annoyed by the constant rambling.

~You're right. The death of humanity's last hope is near, the final pieces have moved into place, aside from yourselves. We'll be waiting~ With that, the broadcast of us, and every other hero across Japan remained, and Nara finally allowed us to proceed onto the elevator as the barrier fell.

"Sorry for leaving you hanging that long, Aksis," Hawks smiled slightly to reassure me as I leaned against Izuku to quell my beating heart. Despite what I thought, the whole conversation had me shaken. To think, if I hadn't overcome the Incubator's power... that might've happened to me and Siva...

"It's all good, sorry you guys didn't really get the chance to spit back some one-liners," I quipped, then glanced up at the shaft over our heads. "But we'll have all the time in the world for that soon enough..."

"Rest while you can, there will be no turning back now," Endeavor ordered, stepping onto the lift as someone came walking through from the sever room. "You're late."

"Apologizes," To our surprise, we found it to be nonother than Best Jeanist, his sleek suit damaged and singed in some spots. "I ran into some trouble crossing the bridge, not to mention a few wayward Fallen. But I did catch the tail-end of what was spoken, it appears he wishes for us to come to him." By his steely look, he too sensed the trap.

"We don't have a choice now," Izuku murmured, watching the darkness above. "Danger Sense is pounding right now, but its either us or the whole of Japan that'll take the fall,"

"Tch, figures he's too scared to come to us," Katsuki adjusted his gauntlets. "Let's just get this over with, we're already running out of time before he can use that large attack anywhere in the world."

"Then let's this over with!" Miruko stomped, adjusting her hammer arm. "Second we spot the guy, I say hit him with everything we got."

"That might be our best shot to catch him by surprise," I found myself agreeing, we're up against something that's considered stronger than NARA, we couldn't afford to hesitate for a second. Then, I felt the ground beneath me shift. "Here we go..."

Slowly, the lift began to move up. Everyone was quiet as I felt Izuku pull me over to the side furthest from them, Katsuki did give us a look but never said anything, turning back to face the wall that moved by. Once Izuku thought we were a good point away, he looked at me with worry written all over, clutching my shoulders tightly. I tugged my mask back to stare into his eyes, bringing my hands to rest on his cheeks. "It'll be okay,"

"I know, I know, just... with every other encounter we've had, I'm..." He didn't finish his sentence but I understood, I felt the same way. "Please, no matter what happens, stay close to me, okay? That way, I can help you immediately,"

"Like you could get rid of me," I smiled slightly but he didn't share that look, so I leaned forward, kissing him once to steady his fears. "I promise I will, I said I'd marry you someday, can't go back on that now can I?"

Finally, a small chuckle left his lips with a gentle blush to mirror mine, then his arms moved down to my waist, pulling me closer so I could rest my forehead on his with our eyes closed while I wrapped my arms around his neck, savouring this tender feeling a little longer. All that we've come to accomplish together, since the very first day I met him it's all built toward this moment in our lives. I was equal parts scared and my heart was racing.

We pulled away as his hand reached up to rub my blemish gingerly, "I love you,"

"I love you too," I replied, his fingers moving to pinch my mask over my face again.

We stood back, hands intertwined as we took our place next to Endeavor. "This is the final battle, Siva?"

|Yes|

"Thanks... you know, for being here," I couldn't begin to put my thoughts into words, but his rare chuckle made that awkwardness dissolve.

I said something similar before | I will stand with you until the end | I never regretted choosing you

That filled me with more confidence than before, and before long, the elevator stopped in a dark room with very little red lighting. The ground was slate grey concrete, a few raised platforms up some steps behind us to a blacked out observation deck. Two slanted columns to the left and right, leaving a gap down a set of steps to the rest of the floor hidden in the dark. All that we could make out was a small gathering of NARA nanites swirling ahead of us.

"We're in the lion's den now," Hawks murmured, drawing his sword slowly.

Just as we took our first few steps into the dark, the motes of light flickering up into the darkness, many more swarms gathered from behind the pillars and between the wide walkways from where machinery could be seen below. All of them caused the far back wall to glow, thick red wires woven into the metal, hanging from the rafters and stretching to converge behind a dark silhouette. "For the glory of the Devil Splicers, for our fallen brethren... NARA will offer Salvation!"

Red wires wrapped around a human neck, glowing brightly in the dark as more light fed into the room, spotlights spurred to life, giving me an all too real look at a familiar setting. The large amounts of metal and wire woven into the wall, connecting to the centerpiece, the conductor of this complex. Shigaraki's body was almost inhuman. His eyes were covered by black metal, two white slits for his eyes while me gave us a toothy grin. "So glad you could make it, Izuku Midoriya, Endeavor, Hawks, all of you!" He beamed, completely switching his personality. Just what is he anymore...?

His body lurched forward, bolts of arc energy attaching his human half into the rest of his body with a crackle and pop. His chest was covered in armour as the wires hung over it, his right arm completely converted while his left was only covered down to the elbow. Two extra arms had manifested below them. His lower body... was exactly like my own nightmares. A large chassis, far bigger than a person's stood up from the circular platform, wires hung from underneath the legs and the base of the arachnid-like body. The thick legs were pointed, coated in a thick layer of plate metal. Spikes jutting out from the knee guards.

This Perfection Complex...

That eidolon of Aksis's former body...

|...there's no way...|

"Unfortunately, it is, Siva..." I was breathless, and I almost felt my whole body shutdown as my worst fear manifested itself.

The hand that had remained tight around my own squeezed again, Izuku was looking straight at me, same with Katsuki. My eyes flickered into curves, then back to slits. "I'm alright... kinda poetic when you think about it," The two of us were facing our inner demon right here and now.

"Our target's been found, now, tear him apart," Endeavor demanded, flames bursting from my fists.

"I'm afraid, this is where we part ways, Number One," Nara sneered, hands beckoning two wires to fall from the ceiling as he grabbed them tightly, the cracks of Decay woven with the red coding that gathered around them, Detainment. "The peak of quirk evolution that you and society has been negligent to, the very science discovered by Dr. Ujiko..." Those white cracks suddenly tore across the ceiling and the floor beneath us. as it started to shred a thin layer away from himself. "...Quirk Singularity. Now contained by NARA!"

The torrent of absolute destruction came rushing toward us like a tidal wave.

With less than an hour left to save it all.

To Be Continued...

Been a while since I wrote in first person but concerning Yuki's experience within the Incubator's manipulations I felt it necessary, and the truth of Kovik/Shigaraki's change in personality is a result of its power, making the identity of the main villain a complete mess of all their personalities. Oh, if you want a better idea of what their form looks like, Aksis, there you go, I hate describing this stuff. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Heroes!

Next Chapter Intermission: Aksis' Perfection

The final battle begins. Heroes vs. Villains. NARA vs. SIVA...