Hello again, everyone. Well, I'm sure that last week's chapter, and the subversion of a particularly heartbreaking moment, probably had some of you breathing sighs of relief, and others among you feeling especially excited to see what else could possibly unfold differently from this point forward. Well, I certainly hope this chapter here meets those expectations, because I've been really excited, writing these next couple chapters and implementing the changes necessitated by the inclusion of the original characters this time around, like Vukodlak and Tunguska.
I would once again like to thank my beta readers, consultants and friends, Mizu and Jonny; as well as current DA art-contributors Syyndev, Akane Kahomi, AliceKuroCross, Suki-Chan2509, effasempai, Eliza-Frost and Yumake; and most importantly, every single one of you out there who continues to read and give your support every single day through all the hardships of real life. It really does help more than you may think.
My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters, and the original events surrounding them.
A/N: [[]] indicates that characters are contextually speaking Russian, and when text is written like this, it represents present day narration over the portrayed events of the past, given contextual needs for secrecy in some areas.
Chapter 99
Overhaul
(Оверхаль)
Class 1-A Dorms, Saturday, September 20th
Ever since the end of today's lunch period, Nikolay and all his friends, try as they all might, couldn't dispel the ever-lingering sense of apprehension and anxiety that was still churning deep inside of them. After learning of the so-far full extent of the League of Villains' involvement in the mission Izuku and his group had against the yakuza; learning of their holding a little girl prisoner, and their once-believed untouchable senpai, Mirio Togata, getting injured in the process; it would have frankly been a miracle if the students had been able to completely disconnect themselves emotionally from the story thus far for the rest of the school day.
But even after the bell signifying the end of school had rung, even after they had all finally returned to the dorms, freshened up and gotten themselves fed and ready to unwind for their free day tomorrow; none of them still could be able to truly relax…for they all knew that they had to be at the hardest part of this entire recollection from their friends. Tonight, once everyone else in their class was turned in for the night, both groups had promised to meet back up in the commons area, and from there, Izuku, Eijirou, Ochako, Tsuyu and Tunguska would all finally wrap up the rest of the story of this heart-racing mission as a whole for them. Then, this painful chapter of the past would finally be able to be put behind them all; and the entirety of Class 1-A could altogether finally getting back to directing itself towards the future, just as they always should have been.
But even with the promise of an unobstructed path forward at the end of this tale, it still did nothing to ease Nikolay's own apprehension for what could possibly be waiting in the end of this story of his dear friends' experiences; just seeing the troubled look in Izuku's eyes when the promise for tonight had been made, had been a warning sign on its own. However, he did at least have the strange reassurance that he wasn't the only one naturally bracing himself. After all, even after dinner, he and Mina had ultimately been of the same mind that they didn't want to wait away the time until they would all meet up, by themselves.
As such, the two of them decided to try and wait that time out by doing what was essentially impossible for them in these circumstances: studying. Of course, in their case, what started out as studying, ultimately ended up turning into all kinds of wild speculation between them as to what else could possibly have happened from where Izuku had left off, that they would be learning tonight. Of course, it was specifically because of where they had left off, that they didn't want to go too far into it, since it was difficult to imagine a positive outcome, since Mirio was still in the hospital to this day as a result of this whole mission.
But any distraction from it that Nikolay could come up with, was hardly for the better. Besides, just as he had made a worrisome habit of throughout the course of this week at least once a day, the best thing he could think to do to distract them from the ticking clock towards this fateful tale's end, was to continuously check his phone for any and all signs of updates of any kind from the ongoing situation in Russia. And every time he was met with nothing, he could just feel his heart drop that much more; just as Mina herself could whenever she saw this reflect in the look in his green eyes.
"Kolya-kun, I understand wanting to know what's going on over there, but you're just going to make yourself sadder and sadder the more you keep looking it up. You know it's not like you're the only one who cares about it, either. The moment something new comes up, I'll bet you anything you're gonna hear about it from someone else in class first thing."
To her relief, at least Nikolay was already nodding in agreement with her concerns. "I know, you're right, Mina. I just thought having something to get our minds off whatever we're about to hear would help. I just can't not think about whatever's happening back there at the same time, you know? I don't know what else we could do to try and pass the time right now. I mean, studying definitely isn't working, right?"
Ding-ding!
Suddenly, a light electric chime emanated from both his and Mina's phones at once, catching both teens by surprise as they hurriedly scrambled to see what was going on…only to both feel their hearts immediately lift with anticipation and relief, to see that they had both received what looked to be an email from the Kapenta Hero Agency up in Hokkaido, with a sizeable video attached to it.
Neither of them even remotely hesitated in opening said video, before just as quickly realizing what a nightmare two identical overlapping audios would be; and thus proceeded to cuddle up together against the side of Nikolay's bed as they watched the video on his phone open up to reveal a fully reconstructed Agency building right where the old one stood, before just as quickly cutting to a brightly smiling close-up of The Giver, with her shoulder-length black hair and black eyes with white plus symbol-shaped pupils, taking up the entire screen, smiling from ear to ear as she hurriedly pulled away and revealed the similarly enthusiastic smiling faces of High Noon and Blast Beat at her sides.
"Hey! Long time no see, Solovei-kun, Pinky-chan, Earphone Jack-chan! Hope we haven't caught you all at a bad time. We'd recently gotten word from Yuuei and all the other Agencies here in Hokkaido that Hero Internships have been temporarily postponed, which is a real shame! We were all really looking forward to having you three walking through our doors and working with us again once we'd all gotten out of the hospital and repairs were all finished!"
Before The Giver could continue, Blast Beat eagerly inched his way forward, now taking up nearly half the screen. "C'mon, Erumi-chan, give the rest of us a chance too, huh? Hey, you guys! I hope you're all keeping in practice down at that school of yours! The moment Internships are back on, I wanna see what you all have learned to do since last time! But until then, in case you were all getting worried, we went through a lot of effort to get some video footage and testimonials from everybody up here, just so you wouldn't think nobody was keeping things under control! Obviously you already saw that our offices are back up and running!"
And just like he had done with The Giver seconds ago, High Noon likewise began shouldering herself into center frame. "Make room, Kazuki-kun! That's right, and you'll be happy to know that Chizuru-san and Mitsudo-kun are all likewise back on their feet and working the field good as new, also! Between us, I think getting involved in helping us with the Gagaringrad mission gave our boss that spark for active Hero work again, so good on you all for that!"
With those words, the video feed suddenly switched over to footage of Chiaroscuro and De-Condenser themselves, currently at work on a rather vigorous-looking training drill in the basement training room; both of them working their way around and through the robots and automated defense systems without ever once missing a step. And just as quickly as that footage had started, it just as quickly changed to now show the blue-haired and brightly grinning De-Condenser himself standing front and center, this time with a fully mechanical left arm mounted to his shoulder, while not looking quite as sleek as Tunguska's.
"Hey, hey! Nightingale-kun, Pinky-kun, I hope these guys haven't interrupted anything you're up to at school by sending this video your way! We just wanted to check in and make sure you're both doing okay while we're all waiting for this internship cancellation to stop. We're all really missing you right now, and I've no doubt the feeling is mutual. And hey, good luck for me, too, cause now I get to show you both this nifty new toy of mine for you! It's almost like I never lost me Density-Absorbing arm to begin with, it works just as well as the real thing! Watch!"
And with the kind of eagerness more fitting for a young child wanting to showcase a new trick they'd learned; De-Condenser hurried over to a massive wall of solid reinforced steel, even punching his new artificial fist against it at full strength for proof, which resulted in nothing more than a resounding thud. But then, after placing that same hand's open palm against it for a couple of seconds, he proceeded to punch that same wall once again, and this time proceeded to punch a hole clean through it like it were wet cardboard. And from there, he proceeded to place the palm of his right hand against an opposing wall of, funnily enough, cardboard for a few more seconds. And just like the steel wall before it, when De-Condenser threw his prosthetic fist into it, there was nothing more than an even duller thud than the last time. And all the while, that ecstatic smile never left the Density Hero's face.
With that showcase having come and gone, the camera feed was suddenly being obstructed by Chiaroscuro's face stepping in real close, before whoever was holding the camera took a couple steps back so the older Pro's face could come into better focus. "As you can see, even despite the injuries we all suffered that day, everyone is back on their feet and ready to take on the criminals and Villains out there who might've thought we were all down for the count. I hope that lifts your hearts a great deal, because the fact is that things in Gagaringrad and elsewhere could've very likely gone far worse if we hadn't had all you kids there leading the charge and helping us. Take that assurance from a real veteran to your hearts, and let that guide you into becoming that much stronger and more prepared for when we can finally start working together again. We've already spoken with our fellow Pros at the other Agencies up here about this, and they're of a similar mind and readiness to work with all of your fellow Yuuei students again when the chance comes. No doubt they're all getting similar video testimonials as you are at this very moment. Of course, the choice is ultimately all of yours to make for yourselves. Just know that all of you will always be welcome up here if you ever do decide to give internships with all of us across Hokkaido another chance."
Nikolay and Mina were already both feeling their hearts lift higher and higher when seeing the smiles upon all their former mentors' faces again, just as the video suddenly changed back to The Giver grinning brightly while leaning in far too close. "And it's not just things here that we wanted to catch you all up on, either. There's been a lot of changes around Gagaringrad, too, even after the whole town had finished getting repaired, and we just knew you would all want to hear from the folks there that wanted to talk to you as well!"
Just like that, the video suddenly changed to multiple different video feeds of what was unmistakably Gagaringrad, likewise fully reconstructed and looking better than it ever had been before, with the optimistic lights reflected in the visible townspeople's eyes and smiles embodying this complete change in atmosphere, and rebirth in community. Then, without any kind of forewarning, the camera suddenly turned towards the two brightly smiling and healthy forms of Leonid Briner, and Father Sergei Cherenkov; both older bearded men positively radiating fatherly warmth as the priest's eyes momentarily looked behind the camera. [[Andrei, do try to hold it steady, we must return this to the Kapenta Heroes unscathed.]]
[[Yes, I understand that, Dad, now look back in the camera, please, they could be seeing all of this.]] The moment Sergei's son Andrei mentioned this in a hushed whisper from off-screen, Sergei looked noticeably embarrassed, while Leonid chuckled and quickly breathed deep.
"Hello, all you brave young Heroes of Yuuei Academy. While I admit it is unfortunate that things have recently changed so that you can't come up here to see with your own eyes, we wanted you all to see some kind of proof that things up here in Gagaringrad have indeed improved exponentially in the wake of what happened last week in your efforts to save us and so many others.
"But I don't just mean that things have improved in terms of just the town being rebuilt. Anyone with any years of experience will tell you that a town is rather defined by its people, its sense of community. And in that regard, your efforts have reinvigorated and healed the soul of this entire community in ways we can't begin to describe." As Leonid explained this, Father Sergei just as quickly took center-stage himself, motioning for the camera to follow him as he began moving towards his church in the background, showing they were now in the newly repaired town square.
"After years of living such sheltered lives, barely reaching out in any meaningful way to the communities around our own, and only holding onto our Quirks and the presence of nearby Heroes begrudgingly; everything you children and your teachers all risked and sacrificed for us has helped this entire town to remember just what it was to idolize and be grateful for Heroes in our lives. I know I don't have to remind you all of this: I can scarcely imagine the ovations you all received outside the hospital on the day of your departure is something you couldn't hope to forget. But even with that being said, ever since then, the people of Gagaringrad have been wanting more and more to show just how immeasurably grateful they've become for everything you all did, and the hope it left us with that had been tragically scarce for so long underneath it all."
With that, the priest suddenly stepped aside again, gesturing with his arms towards the center of the square, and what Nikolay and Mina saw standing there now, took both their breath away and left their hearts pounding and eyes blurring with tears of raw emotion.
Standing tall and proud in the early afternoon sun in the center of the square, was a huge and elaborate marble sculpture that, from a distance, almost resembled a massive bird spreading its wings. But up close, as the camera moved in, it was clearly an ensemble of them and every single one of their Class 1-A and 1-B teammates, and all the accompanying Pro Heroes, even including Volga at the center top, all standing unified together in preparedness for a battle to protect these people and all others against all threats.
And at the bottom of it all, was a single golden plaque with the Cyrillic words chiseled into it of every one of their Hero names in two listed rows, and at the bottom was simply the title: 'The Heroes of Gagaringrad, Forever With Us, Forever Loved.'
Just as they both began to try and suck in a shaken breath to try and recollect themselves, the feed suddenly switched to two simultaneous recordings of two tall-standing memorial spires with their own empty braziers sitting at the foot of them; one standing at the end of a new concrete causeway next to the docks, and one standing at the edge of the cliff where the leveled ruins of the old hospital outside of town now rested.
"We didn't want the prices you all paid for us to be forgotten, so just as our artisans made that sculpture to commemorate you all, they likewise made these two memorials honoring Knightfall-san and Volga as well. I do not know if it gives any of you any consolation, since there wasn't anything to be properly buried of either of them, as they should've gotten; we felt this would at least somewhat make up for it. The moment the school deems it safe for you all to go back to your internships, we would be honored if you all would come back to us, and light the braziers yourselves. Given the respective connections a lot of you had with the fallen, it only seemed right that you be given that chance to pay your respects as well."
Nikolay and Mina could both feel heart-wrenching tears finally start running freely down their faces, just as the video suddenly switched over to the whole bunch of small children from the school and orphanage, all busily working at putting together a crude but still-beautiful painted mural on an entire side of the building, before the video just as quickly cut to that very same class, all standing happily alongside their fawn-headed teacher with blindingly bright smiles on their paint-spattered faces, and all holding their hands to the sides of their heads, and either sticking their pointing fingers straight up, or in hooked shapes.
This gesture got an immediate sharp gasp of utterly touched sobs out of Mina, as she immediately realized they were trying to imitate hers and Pony Tsunotori's horns in a childish show of universal thanks and admiration, just as the camera's view zoomed out to finally show their completed painting on the side of the building: depicting every single one of the Heroes, student and Pro alike, all rushing through the air side-by-side in a valorous charge to save everyone, with a vibrant myriad of multiple colors filling the background, and one giant Cyrillic 'THANK YOU, HEROES' written in gold across the top, and a similarly large 'COME BACK SOON' written across the bottom.
And, of course, the entire display was all perfectly capped off by all of the children simultaneously crying out together another resounding "THANK YOU" as they waved eagerly to the camera, and to them ultimately.
Nikolay had to hurriedly reach to a nearby counter for a tissue box for himself and Mina to try and clear their eyes after something so innocent and beautiful, just as the video once more switched over to showing Leonid traversing through the streets while the camera followed him.
"As Father Sergei said before; the gratitude of this town isn't simply for your efforts to save us from Pietro Granin's madness. The number of ways in which you all ultimately saved us goes down to such a more fundamental level. While we were all grateful in the beginning to have escaped Russia and the rest of the former Bloc before the anti-Quirk persecution got worse, we were all still just as wary of branching out in this entirely new country, and as such, primarily kept to ourselves, and having our interactions with the rest of Hokkaido, let alone Japan, be sparingly at best.
"But after you've all helped us to remember just what it means for Heroes to protect and save people, you've likewise helped many of us to remember just the inherent gift that our Quirks ultimately are, and the overall responsibility that comes with them. What I'm about to tell you may not exactly extend to the majority of the adults and the elderly here, but when it comes to our younger citizens, and especially the children, you've instilled in them the courage and desire to dream big for themselves again. You've restored in them, the desire to want to try their own hands at not only reaching out to this country that has graciously given us safe haven over all these years at last, but to also integrate themselves into the Hero community as a whole, properly educate and train themselves, and try to become Heroes one day, themselves…just like all of you. You all restored this fire and love for life in them, and this was the one way they've all felt they could best make the most of what you've all given them. In that way, you've all become far greater Heroes for the people of Gagaringrad than you may have ever realized, and as the one these people have all looked to for leadership for so long, I cannot ever thank you all enough for that."
Mina had to take hold of Nikolay's phone, as his hands had become too shaky with emotion by this point to hold the thing steady, not that she was doing any better, the two young Heroes trying with all their might not to start sobbing with all of the emotions at everything they were seeing and hearing.
In the middle of it all, the video once again switched, this time to Father Sergei sitting in the comfort of his personal office within his church; a compassionate glimmer reflected in his old eyes. "As much as Leonid Viktorovich and I are sure you're all more than ecstatic to see everything that we've shown you here in Gagaringrad since you left, we likewise have had no doubts that you've been especially anxious to hear what's been going on with Maja Kieslowska and her friends, in light of their manipulation by Pietro Granin, and thus their culpability in everything that happened. While, unfortunately, the authorities forbid any kind of recording equipment be brought into the minor-security prison they're currently serving their times in; we have both been taking personal responsibility in checking on them every chance there's been, just to make sure all is going as it should be. That's why I'd like to take this opportunity to put any worries you all might have had for them to rest, and assure you all that they are all recovering and serving out their due times with their heads held high and hearts full of the same gratitude for your deeds as the rest of us. I know it's hardly as fulfilling as it would be to hear it from their own lips…so perhaps you can all let that be even further incentive for you all to come up and see us again the next chance you get. Then you can perhaps see and speak to them all yourselves. I know they would all be just as happy for it as you all would be."
Naturally, the news that their Polish friend Maja and all of her friends were doing as well as they relatively could be brought about a wave of relief entirely its own, as Nikolay and Mina both let out an instinctive sigh of gratitude that they weren't being treated harshly for their ultimate roles in the grand scheme of things. And just as Father Sergei had suggested, the idea of getting back up to Hokkaido to see them all with their own eyes sounded nothing short of perfect on top of every other reason they had already to possibly go.
But just when it seemed like the video was finally over, the feed once more cut, but not to Leonid, or even to anyone in Gagaringrad. No, this time, the video was showing footage of none other than the once sickly little boy Valera, now looking as colorful and bright-eyed as a kid his age always should have been, wandering about with both his parents, in the streets of what was clearly a Japanese city…before ultimately settling on a video of the tiny Russian boy actually dressed in a traditional kindergarten student uniform, in a line with a whole bunch of similarly dressed children around his age, who even from a distance were all eagerly talking to him, and he in return was talking back to them with just as much energy.
As the video suddenly cut to yet more footage of Valera, now playing with the other kids in the playground of their apparent kindergarten, the voices of both his parents suddenly began to speak up over it; both their voices clearly shaken with their own overwhelming emotions of unmistakable parental joy; with Japanese subtitles thankfully hard-coded in for Mina's benefit, if not everyone else that had likely gotten this very same video right now.
[[When the Kapenta Agency Heroes came to us, asking for us to speak out to all of you students at Yuuei who put everything on the lines for our little Valera, we honestly didn't know where to begin at first. But the more we thought about it, the more sense it made for us to just start with what came naturally, considering all the changes that have already happened to us since then.
[[It took a good couple of days for our boy to get his strength back after all the strain he'd been put through, but even when he was still recovering, all he could talk about was how grateful he was for you all bringing us back together…and how he…*gasp* *sob*…how much he wants to try and become a Hero just like all of you when he grows up. For the first time ever, we can actually envision Valera growing up in a world where he can actually look up to Heroes like we all used to…and like we've been able to again, thanks to you brave kids!
[[With so many other kids, teenagers and young adults in Gagaringrad expressing the same desires, we realized we needed to make our own decisions to help Valera be able to pursue his dream and train his Quirk in the best environment he can get. So, with Linguist's help, we've managed to successfully move and secure ourselves a good home and jobs in a nice quiet part of Tokyo, and have even gotten Valera enrolled into a local kindergarten. After everything our boy has been through, he deserves to be nurtured and raised in an environment with Quirked children just like him, where he can grow up and grow strong, not having to feel ashamed for what he was born with, and without the fear of his Quirk ever being manipulated or exploited by evil people ever again.
[[This incredible opportunity, this entirely new life he now has, is ultimately all thanks to you brave young Heroes, and you all have our undying gratitude for it…and we hope that one day, you'll all be given the chance to perhaps come and see us, so Valera can thank you all properly for what you've done. Thank you all…*sob* thank you all so, so much!]]
This was the final emotional straw that either Nikolay or Mina could take, for as the last seconds of the video played out, wherein the Kapenta Heroes once again gave their thanks, well wishes and desires for all the Yuuei students involved to one day return; the two teens had finally let all their restraint go and let the sobs come out freely.
But this time, there were no tears of sadness to be found, but only those of gratitude, for far too many things than they could feasibly count right now. This was the kind of thing Nikolay had once given up on ever being able to see and experience; and now, after so many trials, challenges, injuries and terrifying moments, and so, so much uncertainty; the time had finally come, and Nikolay couldn't even begin to know who or what to thank for giving him a moment like this at all.
Of course, even that kind of confusion couldn't last once he felt one of Mina's hands rest upon his own, and the other gently caress the side of his wetted face, so he could turn and look her in her tear-filled eyes, seeing the trembling, overjoyed smile on her pink face.
"This…t-this is so amazing, Kolya-kun. It's incredible, right? I…oh my God, I don't even know where to start! I just…*gasp* Please, I hope you can see what I'm seeing here, too. No matter how worried I know you are about…about w-what's happening back in Russia right now, I really hope this can help you to feel even a little more hopeful, Kolya-kun. No matter what happens there; it's because of what we all did, what you did, that helped make all of this, up in Gagaringrad, possible for everyone there. Your kindness, your courage, and your never-wanting to give up on anyone the entire time; it all helped build something so beautiful! It's just like what you were saying in the hospital and earlier this week to all of us, remember? Everything about Heroes giving hope more than anything, remember?"
Thankfully, Nikolay was already well on the same train of thought as his brightly smiling best friend and girlfriend in this moment, as his own tear-streaked face finally began to smile, the more he thought back. "Yeah…I do…and you're right, it's just like everything I'd said to Mr. Kodamchuk back then…and everything All Might-sensei helped me to remember. Those people…I…we all helped give them hope again, enough to inspire them to try and spread it to others. We actually pulled it off, Mina. I…I-I honestly feel like I'm dreaming right now, I don't know how to process it…but oh my God, I'm so happy!"
And this self-realization, on top of the unadulterated smile upon his face, was what finally drove Mina; with another heart-melting giggle of affection and amusement; to lean in, gently holding Nikolay's face in her hands, and lovingly bring their lips together in a sudden but instantly welcomed kiss. She naturally let such an electric touch between them linger as Nikolay quickly brought his trembling hands to her sides to hug her close as he began to reciprocate, just before she finally broke contact and looked adoringly at the smile still upon his glowing red face.
"Aww, there's the smile I love to see on that adorable face! Don't ever sell yourself short again, Kolya-kun; you were the one who took charge back then from the start, even after what we'd already gone through. You helped give us all the drive to go in there and give everything we had to save those people, even when we knew just what we were up against; what was at risk. You helped make all of this possible. Everyone in that town may call us all their Heroes…but for everything we were able to bring ourselves to do together in the end to save them, you were the one who got that spark lit under us, Kolya-kun. The fact is: you're the Hero between us, as far as I'm concerned…and you always will be to me, and much, much more."
Knock-knock-knock!
Just as they both began to lean in for another kiss, a resounding knock at the door stirred Nikolay and Mina back to reality; but rather than annoyance at the interruption, there was only a sense of readiness. After all, looking at the time on their phones, it was obvious that normally everyone in their dorm would be asleep by now.
Upon opening the door, they were greeted by Eijirou and Tenya together; the normally rigid class president having a surprisingly encouraged air about him, even when seeing the two in the same room, as evidenced by the slightly less-strict tone with which he greeted them: "Good evening, Bezpalov-san, Ashido-san. It's good to see you've been spending the time wisely, at least."
Of course, upon retrospect, his mood had to have been because of his receiving the same reassuring video message they had…or it just as easily could've been because he saw the textbooks sitting upon the floor in such an organized layout, to which he naturally had to assume they were spending all that time actually studying, like he had been.
As for Eijirou, while he naturally had a relieved smile on his face to see his two best friends together, there was still that similarly hesitant look in his red eyes, much like Nikolay had seen in Izuku all throughout the week when it came to telling this whole story. But that still didn't stop the spiky-haired boy from finally kicking things off: "Well…it's time, you guys. You sure you still wanna go through with this? I think everyone would totally understand if this has already been too much for you all to take in, and you just wanted to opt out. I wouldn't blame you."
As overwhelming as the story thus far had indeed been, neither Nikolay nor Mina showed any willingness to take the out they were being offered, as with a single silent glance, they both knew they were of the exact same dedication, as Nikolay answered: "No…no, Eijirou-san; after you guys all were kind enough to stick to the very end when we were telling you about what happened in Hokkaido, there's no way we can just walk away from what you guys all went through and shared with us; not after already getting this far."
"Yeah, we're with you guys till the very end, no matter what!" With Mina's encouraging declaration of all-around comradery, Eijirou let out a sigh of clear relief, before finally motioning for them and Tenya to follow him all the way down to the commons area, where Tunguska, Izuku, Ochako and Tsuyu were already joined by Momo and Kyouka; both of whom likewise looked just as encouraged inside, just as Tenya, Mina and Nikolay were.
It was hardly surprising that Ochako and Tsuyu had likewise tried to offer their fellow girls the same opportunity to back out, just as it was hardly surprising that neither of them took it, either. And so, with everyone finally gathered around on the sofas of the commons area, Tunguska took one final look around at the gathered students, with Izuku breathing in deep. "Okay, you guys…this is it. This is where it all ultimately ended for our mission last week. I want you all to know, we are all grateful that you've wanted to know about what we went through for all this time, just like we all wanted to know from you. Hopefully, with this, we can all finally start to move forward together with the rest of the class, and nowhere else."
Even from where they were sitting, Nikolay and his group could clearly tell from the look in Izuku's eyes, that he was expressing this hope just as much for himself as for them and his group as a whole. And so, without further introduction, the green-haired boy turned his gaze up to Tunguska, who breathed in deep and proceeded to cap off the finale to their whole recollection story at last.
Shie Hassaikai HQ Basement, Saturday September 13th, 8:42AM
"As regrettable as it is, what happened to Irinaka, it's at least a relief that the living labyrinth threat is over. But now how do we know where to go to get out of here?" This was the most prominent question many of the police could think to ask, as they, Izuku, Aizawa and Sir Nighteye all stood within the now-frozen bowels of the forever warped basement labyrinth, while the now-deceased Joi Irinaka lay in a pool of his own blood with a number of devastating stab wounds in his torso; with the fortunately still-alive but badly wounded Rock Lock laid out several feet away, still suffering from the stab wounds to his upper back and right hand.
Izuku and Aizawa looked similarly troubled by the complete turn-around this environment was now giving them as to where to go from here, but Sir Nighteye himself was ever the stalwart, unshakeable rock of this team, as his eyes were ever-focused on a single direction. "If it's the route to Eri's room, then it's down that way. Don't worry, I've been keeping track this whole time."
While some of the police were already breathing sighs of relief that they were no longer completely lost, the leading officer didn't look nearly as reassured. "Well, even with that issue taken care of, there's still Toga Himiko and Twice for us to worry about, as well as this sudden Vukodlak Copy situation. Bubaigawara Jin's Quirk only works if he has the face and measurements of an individual; so the only way he could've been able to make one is if the League of Villains got into contact with him while he was in prison! And that still doesn't explain how he was able to disguise himself and his voice, and start making invisible shields with his hands! There's too much going on here that we don't know!"
BKOOOM!
Just as Izuku, Aizawa and the police had all instinctively gotten into defensive positions at the reminder of the League of Villains' apparent involvement in this whole situation, a portion of the floor mere feet away from their whole gathering suddenly exploded upward, leaving a large man-sized hole in its wake. Everyone immediately had their eyes on it, their defenses all sky high, as the dust quickly cleared to reveal the visibly bloodied and coughing form of Tunguska climbing his way out with a single hand, audibly straining like they hadn't heard him strain before, as he had the slumped over forms of Fatgum, Tamaki and Eijirou all stacked on top of each other over his broad shoulders…and once he'd finally squeezed through and was on his knees again, the police and Pros could likewise quickly identify the bloodied unconscious figure of Hekiji Tengai carried securely under the Russian Hero's other arm.
"SENSEI! Are you guys all alright?!" "What happened, Tunguska?!" Izuku and Aizawa, upon seeing their classmates, students and colleagues all with him, alongside his own clearly real injuries, quickly dropped their initial defenses and rushed to Tunguska's side, helping them all off his shoulders and laying them out as carefully as they could on the floor, while more police likewise hurried over to try and apply what immediate first-aid they could.
Sighing with exhausted relief once he could feel all the weight being taken off his heaving body, Tunguska answered: "Red Riot and I…after we got separated from you all, we found two of those lieutenants you briefed us on, Nighteye-san…Tengai and Rappa…the former is still alive…but the latter isn't. He's still down there, where we got led out to.
"We got jumped…by Vukodlak, of all people, if you can believe it or not. Somehow, I don't know how, he's here…and he has several new Quirks I know he didn't have before. He's able to make these…t-these invisible walls he can launch at you, like shields and battering rams all at once! He's able to heal any injuries we could land on him in rapid time…he could even turn into a giant wolf, able to instantly make and launch those invisible walls with naught but a howl! If…if he attacked and killed one of the Hassaikai…I think he…I think he might actually be a part…that he might have fallen in with the League of Villains."
Such news was terrible enough for Vukodlak to relay, but the fact he wasn't seeing the abject horror on anyone's faces that he'd been expecting, was somehow just as unsettling. Izuku, visibly saddened as he saw how badly injured Fatgum and Eijirou both were, could only answer in a grim: "We actually just came to the same conclusion before you rejoined us, Tunguska-sensei. You see, we just got infiltrated by a Copy of him…that was disguised as you."
Without a word, Aizawa motioned Tunguska's attention over to the injured Rock Lock, as well as the clearly dead Irinaka, watching as his fellow teacher and Pro's eyes widened with confused horror. "Irinaka tried to separate us further, and Rock Lock-san got blindsided by Toga Himiko, and Sir Nighteye's group got attacked by Bubaigawara Jin. But, I guess you could say we got lucky, because they both decided to turn on the Hassaikai, too. Their taunting him, allowed Deku to pinpoint his location and force him out into the open. Unfortunately, once they fled, what we'd thought was you, ended up killing Irinaka, and when we fought back, just like he said, it wasn't the real Vukodlak, but a Copy of him. So we seem to be on the overall same page as to how he's here and why."
Just the thought of Vukodlak being on the loose again was bad enough, to think that he was somehow in with the League of Villains was even worse. But now, to know that he wasn't the only one to come to this same conclusion, had Tunguska nearly trembling with apprehension, anger and worry for everyone here. Even Izuku couldn't hide the fact he was similarly worried, knowing what he did about what the foreign Villain could do before from Nikolay and the others' stories before. Now that he somehow had multiple Quirks, and wasn't another mindless Nomu, left him with no clear idea of just what to expect.
And likewise, the police themselves were on just as much high alert, as their lead officer exclaimed: "We don't have time to worry about how Vukodlak got out of prison without us knowing about it, or why the League of Villains is here! Just because they're fighting against the Hassaikai, doesn't mean we're on the same side. They're still just as much wanted criminals as the yakuza, we can't turn a blind eye to their being here. But, given that we aren't currently still being attacked from all around, I want to think that may mean that those three are the only League members here that we have to be concerned about."
A sudden struggling grunt snapped everyone back to attention, to see an especially frustrated-looking Rock Lock forcing himself into a sitting position, clutching at his bandaged midsection, while staring at his compatriots with a fire burning in his eyes. "All of you, quit standing around and yapping! FORGET ABOUT THOSE THREE AND KEEP MOVING! Thanks to that girl, I can't go any further…but you all gotta keep going, understand?! Ryukyu's group is keeping any outside threats from getting the drop on us, just like Lemillion, Suneater, Fatgum, Red Riot and Tunguska have been from inside this damn place! Don't let all of that be for nothing, you hear me?! Leave those League idiots to the cops and go on without me…and make sure that Chisaki bastard doesn't get away…or did you all just suddenly forget why we came here?!"
Thankfully, he could already see that his imploring and angered words were stoking the righteous fires inside of his fellow Heroes and the police alike, with Izuku once more clenching his hands into shaking, white-knuckled fists, while Tunguska was already forcing himself back onto his feet, brushing off the approaching officers wanting to tend to his wounds.
Instead, his blue eyes were settled regretfully on Eijirou, Fatgum and Tamaki, all lying unconscious and beaten to hell and back. The last thing he had ever wanted was for any of his students to get hurt by any circumstances, regardless if Eijirou had put himself in such an agonizing state for the sake of securing their win. This was another bit of unbearable regret he would have to live with for the rest of his days, no matter how much the boy would undoubtedly try to reassure him there was nothing to feel guilty of from now on.
To see his professional partner and their other intern in the injured states they were in was no easier. Knowing that Fatgum only ever expended all of his body mass for desperate last resorts; to see him back in his skinny state only reinforced in Tunguska his own failure to be there to back up those he was supposed to work with, no matter what the man would've said otherwise in the heat of the moment.
And the fact that, even now, his body was racked with so much pain from all the wounds he'd just received, only further compounded his own frustration that he wasn't already back on his feet and helping them all out whichever way he could, feeling virtually useless.
"We'll definitely save her, Rock Lock, Tunguska!" That simple promise from Izuku was spoken from nowhere but the very bottom of his heart, as he, Aizawa, Sir Nighteye and the police finally began the charge, smashing through the wall of the twisted labyrinth that their leader had pointed them in, continuing their way further into the depths of the basement, while Rock Lock and Tunguska were left with a handful of officers to continue tending to their injuries…with Rock Lock himself forming a small but deeply heartfelt smile of approval as he watched his fellows continue on with no hesitation.
And it was as though he could just sense Tunguska's equivalent frustration at being left behind, knowing what dangers still lay ahead, as he soon spoke up: "You don't have to get so down on yourself, you know, Tunguska. You pulled more than your own weight to get Tengai, Fat and those boys back to us in one piece. Besides, that Deku is more capable than I gave him credit for from the start. Any kid who can make a promise to rescue someone with that much certainty spoken from the heart is one in a million, even in this world we live in. With Nighteye and Eraser at his side, I think he's in real good hands."
While it was certainly a very nice change of pace where Tunguska was sitting, to actually hear Rock Lock speaking with a much more approachable air, it still did nothing to appease his own sense of uselessness, all the same. "I know that you're absolutely right…but that boy is still mine and All Might's responsibility, just as much as he is Eraser's and Nighteye-san's. With the dangers we've already run into so far, you can't expect me to just sit back and not want to protect or help him whichever way I could, no less than you."
Looking back the way Izuku and the others had departed, Rock Lock sighed in pain and exhaustion…and acceptance. "That's right. I know I've been coming across as a jerk up until now, to those kids especially. But it's not like I'd done it out of some kind of arrogance or anything like that. It's just that…Yuuei students or not, kids are still kids. It's only natural for me to worry about them when danger's nearby. Hell, you're a father; you oughta know better than anybody here what that feels like, even more than somebody like Eraser. I'm only just starting to get used to the sensation full-time, myself."
As Tunguska instinctively looked in surprise to the once-abrasive Pro's sudden admission of apparently becoming a recent father, Rock Lock looked back with a look in his eyes that just radiated reassurance. "But that Deku kid is something really special…oh dammit, all of these Yuuei and Hero school kids are, either here with us or out there across this country are special. The fact is, even with all the years of experience under our belts combined; when they're pushed and determined enough, those kids prove to be even greater Heroes than us adults."
Tunguska's agreement with such sentiment couldn't have come any louder or clearer in the wake of such a humbling admission from his fellow Pro. But even as the two men basked in this newly formed mutual understanding; the older foreign Hero still couldn't help but look back worriedly to the now-empty passage down, hoping beyond all hope that they would be able to handle whatever or whoever was waiting for them, or that he could at least regain the strength to do something to try and help, and fast.
However, unbeknownst to any of them, within the shadowy recesses of the spires lining the elongated roof of this section of the basement, Himiko and Twice were silently listening in and observing this entire unfolding development below them. As soon as Izuku had left with all his teachers and more than half the remaining police in the compound, Twice finally felt his heart stop racing enough to actually speak in a very restrained whisper: "I think they're finally gone. We'd better find a way outta here, too; I still gotta put Vukodlak-san's big old plan together before more cops show up. You got any ideas, Toga? How about a kiss?"
However, his constant flip-flopping in attention and intent didn't even register to Himiko, as her piercing eyes were still focused on following where Izuku had disappeared to; her cheeks aglow with blush. "I still wanna see Izuku…looking all beat up again. But…at the same time…I'd love to see Overhaul suffer. If Sensei asked you specifically to do something that could make that happen, then I'm cheering you on all the way, Jin."
Of course, Twice would've been blushing wildly underneath his mask to once more be receiving such votes of confidence from the unsettling bubbly young Villain beside him; but the rest of his body language just conveyed that same nervous uncertainty. "You say that, and he says that only I can do it, but I have no idea how to make that happen. So just hear me out!"
Paying no mind once again to his contradicting words, Himiko was all smiles as Twice proceeded to hurriedly whisper in her ear. Before long, she was giggling and squirming with overwhelming excitement. "Oooh, Jin. If I wasn't so sure he was working hard to help us out with the plan, I'd be telling Sensei all about it and asking him to praise you even more! If we do that on top of what he's asked of you, and it all works out for us…that's sure to make Tomura really happy. If Izuku, the rest of the Heroes and the yakuza all get real messed up in the process too, that'll just be that much sweeter."
"Listen to me, Midoriya: once we catch up to Chisaki, I'll Erase his Quirk. While we're down there, I want you to analyze the situation like you do, and act accordingly. But don't go overboard, understand? We can't possibly be sure of what will happen once we cross paths with him, but you need to be damn sure not to incapacitate yourself, otherwise things could go really bad, really quickly."
Even as Aizawa was taking this opportunity to make his intended instructions for Izuku undeniably clear, it took little to no time at all of racing through the now-normal layouts of the basement, for them, Sir Nighteye and the police to finally end up rounding one of the last corners further down into the depths. Once they did, they ended up skidding to a halt; not just because they came across the still-unconscious body of the yakuza lieutenant Sir Nighteye and the police immediately recognized as Sakaki Deidoro on the floor; but because a split second later, Mirio himself came phasing out the nearby wall, flying backwards out of it and barely skidding to a stop on his hands and feet, just as a resounding crash emanated from the same wall on the other side.
"LEMILLION!" The outcries of his fellow Heroes snapped Mirio to attention; his adrenaline and focus far too high for him to let his tension down with relieved greetings at such needed familiar faces. However, none of their faces reflected any such relief, either; for Nighteye, Izuku and Aizawa had all immediately noticed the droplets and trails of blood dripping onto the floor and running down the white legs of Mirio's costume from a number of laceration wounds running across his back; Nighteye immediately rushing in and asking with enough intensity to shake any man to their core: "Lemillion, what happened?! Are you all right?!"
They could all feel a shockwave rush through their bodies when they saw the fire in Mirio's eyes once he looked their way. "I found them, Sir; Chisaki and Eri! He's sealed off all exits with these walls, but I thought Tunguska had showed up to help…but he tricked me, and I ended up giving Eri to him to keep her out of danger before I even realized that! His voice became all different, and he's got claws, too, got me from behind! I heard Chisaki call him Vukodlak, like that Russian Villain on the news a while back! I couldn't even hit him, like he has these invisible walls he can just make and shoot anywhere he wants!"
When Mirio saw the intensity appear in all their eyes at this news, Izuku already had his eyes set on the wall Mirio had just phased through; green sparks already starting to emanate from all over his body as he began to rush for it with a reeled back fist. "The League of Villains is here too, Lemillion, and he's gotta somehow be involved with them! They sent a Copy of him also disguised as Tunguska to try and attack us!"
Fortunately, all the Heroes were completely on the same mental wavelength, as this was the worst possible time for questions or further explanations. All that mattered was that they were all well aware of just how many threats they were dealing with, and most importantly, that Eri was right in the middle of it all, just on the other side of this wall.
SMAAASH!
With his Full Cowl coursing through his veins, Izuku blasted a huge gap into the wall, providing them all a clear way inside, just in time to find the still-disguised Vukodlak, with the terrified silver-haired little girl still firmly trapped within the grasp of one hand; standing off defiantly against the visibly furious Overhaul, with a sea of massive spikes protruding from the floors at that very moment towards them both.
Without any hesitation, Mirio went bolting right back into the fray at just the very moment both Villain and yakuza alike had noticed the Heroes' sudden intrusion and return respectively. Both men immediately began to turn the directions of their attacks towards the charging young Hero, but with his eyes never once leaving Eri's; Mirio was already activating his Permeation again, using his built up sprinting momentum to send him phasing harmlessly through spikes, then through the Air Shield Vukodlak was already creating in front of himself with the swipe of his hand, and even all the way down the length of his extended arm itself towards her alone.
The moment he knew she was within reach, Mirio proceeded to reach up and re-solidify his grasping hands by themselves, fitting them snugly underneath her tiny arms and holding on just firmly enough as his body began to phase into the floor; his grasp allowing him to pull Eri downward, out of Vukodlak's grasp and back into the safety of his own as he sprung back up out of the floor and steadily onto his feet behind the Villain's back.
And at the very same moment as Vukodlak realized Eri had been plucked out of his hold, Izuku finally followed through like a green lightning bolt, ricocheting off the ceiling and dive-bombing in just over the top edge of his Air Shield, and using his momentum and trajectory to land a empowered fist straight into his disguised face, SMAAASH; all of that power sending Vukodlak flying off his feet like a bullet through the air, before ultimately crashing hard into Overhaul before he could even try to bring his hands up to destroy his body.
As they both were sent tumbling painfully across the floor into the opposite wall, Aizawa was immediately rushing in alongside Sir Nighteye, who was sprinting straight for Mirio and Eri; all the while expertly observing the annihilated state of this battlefield, namely the clearly beaten up state Overhaul himself was in, as well as the fact there were two similarly unconscious men splayed out at two different spots, much like the single unconscious one outside the walls. All of these things at once had the bespectacled Pro Hero's mind racing as he protectively took Mirio and Eri together into his arms like a sharp-dressed human shield, just as his loyal young sidekick finally began to go limp against him, the pain of his injury finally catching up with him.
'In all my years working as a Hero, my Foresight has instilled in me the instinct of worry and precaution. This is the first time I've ever seen anyone manage to land a hit on you before, Mirio. Knowing what your Quirk could do, and seeing how much you always dedicated yourself to perfecting your use of it, how hard you've always pushed yourself in the field, I'd actually let my worry for your safety subside…only to be replaced by a worry for your own mentality. Being so young and inherently powerful as you are, I always had a needling little voice in the back of my head, telling me that your Quirk would give you the impression you were inherently invincible, and that it would make you careless…or worse yet, that if you were to end up getting genuinely hurt, it would end up breaking your spirit, breaking your courage.
'But to see you now, seeing all of what you've managed to accomplish on your own here, even despite being hurt…to see you take it and your vulnerability, and fight your way through it all so that you could stop these criminals and save poor Eri-chan…I can see now that I never needed to worry about you after all. You truly have become the best kind of Hero I could've hoped to raise.'
"Incredible. Good job…Mirio." These four simple words, even soft-spoken as they were, were shaking with all the emotion in the world that Sir Nighteye could've felt in that one moment, as he continued to hold Mirio and Eri together securely, while the little girl herself was still firmly holding onto Mirio's costume at his side, like her own human safety blanket.
However, Mirio, even despite his pain, could hear his mentor's words loud and clear, could feel Eri's grip upon him as clear as day, and the hitching of emotional tears in his throat and eyes was undeniable…as was the fact that he could hear and see Izuku and Aizawa still charging at Overhaul and Vukodlak together, still crumpled up amid one another on the other side of the room.
And even despite the clear-cut advantage the Heroes now had, his own instinctive sense of alertness and protectiveness for all was simply too powerful to set aside, as he began to gently motion Eri closer to Sir Nighteye, while planting a firm and confident hand upon his mentor's shoulder, beginning to phase through him in the beginning of a charge. "Thank you…thank you, Sir. Please…keep her close and protected, okay? If we're gonna finish this…we need to make sure of it right here and now. Eri…you'll be safe from these guys from now on, I promise."
Sir Nighteye immediately brought his arms down to hold Eri alone securely as he looked back, still visibly worried, but likewise still burning with the newfound pride and confidence in his sidekick, as Mirio began to sprint and phase into the floor to catch up with Aizawa and Izuku; in his mind continuously chanting for the three of them to finally bring this conflict to its long-deserved end.
All the while, as both their heads stopped ringing from their collision into each other and the wall, Overhaul and Vukodlak both were immediately able to pick up on the three Heroes now rushing their position; both immediately trying to counteract by trying to destroy and reconstruct the floor, and make and launch an Air Shield respectively…only for neither man's Quirk to actually come into play. That horrifying reminder helped Vukodlak to immediately realize the black-haired adult with the golden visor to be the man responsible for taking his Quirk all the way back in Erubi City, all visibly evidenced as his Tunguska disguise instantaneously shriveled away, revealing his true form at last to Izuku and Mirio.
And as for Overhaul; his already menacing eyes were almost to the point of igniting with pure murderous rage at the disadvantage he'd just been put in, before he suddenly felt the back of his jacket collar being grabbed by the Villain beside him, forcefully positioning the yakuza before himself as a last-second human shield, just as Izuku's voice echoed out with determination: "TIME TO MAKE THEM BOTH PAY!"
And as if Izuku's own raging emotions somehow compounded onto Overhaul's; he did the very first thing he could instinctively think of in such desperation: "WAKE UP, CHRONO!"
At the very moment Overhaul's voice echoed across the entire battlefield, and Mirio came rocketing out of the floor to his left, Aizawa could instinctively feel his sense of danger spike instantaneously; his muscle-reflex reaction being to practically shoulder tackle Izuku at his right aside, as he could just feel a once unknown threat come flying from behind their backs…just as what looked to be an elongating pointing arrow suddenly came darting in from between teacher and student, leaving only the slightest cut across Aizawa's right arm.
But from what Izuku was witnessing as he caught himself, even though Aizawa's body posture was still that of him sprinting like before, it was as though his movements speed had been reduced to 1/100th of itself, like he'd been rendered entirely in super slow-motion. And that was when he saw the arrow that touched him and caused this effect, just as quickly start retracting all the way into the head of the splayed out yakuza in a white hooded robe, Chronostasis, who by now was actually starting to get back up. "Those that get touched by the big hand are forced to slooow down. I was aiming to nail the both of you, but…well done, Heroes."
And at that very same moment that his arm had been cut, the instant flaring up of pain that rushed through his body ultimately forced Aizawa to do the last thing he knew he ever should've done in this moment: blink.
As a result of that one singular moment in which he had been caught off guard, Overhaul and Vukodlak both just as immediately felt their Quirks reactivate within themselves; the yakuza's mind flaring up with the sensation of emboldening and restored hope: 'It took him long enough to recover. Chrono really was down for the count…until the moment that Lemillion kicked him to me. That young fool didn't even realize, he'd given me the chance to repair all the damage that had been done to Chrono's head.'
The moment to follow turned the tables of the battle instantaneously, as Vukodlak didn't even hesitate upon feeling his Quirk return, to finally sweep his free hand across, instantly creating a wide-spread Air Shield to take the full force of Izuku's still incoming kick; the recoil of which immediately proving enough to send him ricocheting back into another wall, barely catching himself by his fingers across the floor.
Without having even stopped to see this immediate defense work its magic in conjunction with the power of Izuku's Quirk (a happy accident and nothing more); Vukodlak immediately followed up by tossing Overhaul aside, raking his previously swung arm back fast and hard enough so that one of his claws left a fine bleeding slice across the yakuza's forehead.
But this wasn't the real intent behind this action, as that came when Vukodlak set his eyes on the incoming Mirio, less than a dozen feet away from the moment he'd launched himself out of the floor towards him and Overhaul, only now starting to reel his fist back.
With every sense and ounce of his focus centered on his incoming attacker, Vukodlak let his mental restraints go, and his body practically exploded in an instantaneous transformation into his colossal white wolf form, using the outward momentum of his sudden change in shape and increase in size, to immediately open with a powerful biting lunge aimed right for Mirio.
Fortunately, the bold young Hero, upon seeing this unexpected and intense change in his target, immediately tried to counter by activating his Permeation mid-flight. Unfortunately, Vukodlak's biting attack was launched at just the right speed and angle, so that even if his snapping jaws may not have fully enclosed on Mirio's reeling arm; his razor sharp and fast-flying steel fangs still managed to leave a number of deep-cutting gashes all along the length of his arm before it could permeate.
The painful howl Mirio let out as a result of this horrible injury was almost instantly muffled as his body still managed to phase completely into the floor, while Vukodlak's lupine new form stood tall and incredibly menacing on its massive paws, focusing its silver gaze upon Izuku, Aizawa, Sir Nighteye and Eri, especially.
POOOOW!
But just as he began to reel his body in preparation to lunge for the little girl and the Hero still protecting her, Vukodlak suddenly felt all of the wind in his now-enlarged lungs go shooting out his maw, his eyes bulge in their sockets, and a number of his reinforced ribs crack, as Mirio's body came rocketing out of the floor directly underneath where his solar plexus was, driving his uninjured and ready fist straight into it at full speed and full power, sending the gigantic wolf slamming hard against the ceiling, and subsequently bouncing a couple more times against the floor and ceiling together, before ultimately landing in a crumpled furry pile, gasping for air on a whole other side of the battlefield.
But as Izuku saw as Mirio was barely managing to stay steady on his feet with his left arm all carved up as it now was, the already intense air rippled with the fury of overhaul's voice as he roared: "EVERYTHING YOU'RE ALL DOING IS HOPELESS!"
BK-KRAAASH!
Slamming one hand to the floor, and immediately swiping that same hand across in a single fluid motion, Overhaul proceeded to make nearly all the floor of the battlefield explode in a sandstorm of rubble, before just as quickly clumping it all back together into a veritable mountain range of devastating spikes, forcefully separating Aizawa from the others, while Izuku, Mirio and Sir Nighteye were all forced to evade as far back as they could to avoid getting skewered; with Izuku himself ultimately getting pinned mid-jump between a number of different spikes, but thankfully coming out relatively unscathed.
And all throughout the unfolding chaos of his most powerful environmental reconstruction yet, Overhaul had similarly forced the floor underneath Vukodlak's body, already shrinking back into his regular human form, to sprout up into an overarching platform that unceremoniously dumped his delirious body right next to the fuming yakuza, just at the same time as another platform across the room did the same to Shin Nemoto's black-clad body on his other side.
His eyes were burning with a hatred that could've made even hellfire seem utterly pathetic by comparison, as Overhaul's gaze burned through his mountains of spikes to all the Heroes before him that were so persistently trying to get in his way. "I won't have my grand plan reduced to nothing…by a bunch of fools! And I won't let backstabbing traitors go unpunished!
"Did you hear that, Nemoto?! I bet you're unhappy with me meeting my end like this! You tried your best for me, really. But you still have a chance to do right by me…and I know you would gladly do so, even if you had to die for it. As for you, Vukodlak, while I should just kill you and all your comrades for your betrayal, you all were right about one thing: this world of Quirks isn't one the yakuza can survive in by adhering to the old ways…so I'll adapt in full; not pick and choose my methods between both ways of thinking; and take up the ways and mentalities of you Villains to make sure I win…and you're going to help me do so!"
Amid the forest of spikes, Izuku, Mirio and Sir Nighteye were all unfortunate enough to find the perfect places to bear witness to what happened next: for before their horrified eyes, Overhaul proceeded to drag Vukodlak's barely moving body right next to Shin Nemoto's, almost to the point they were stacked on top of each other. And once they were, with their heads just next to each other, Overhaul proceeded to clasp one hand to both their heads by his fingertips, and firmly plant the other to his own chest.
BOOOSH!
In an instant, all three body exploded in a grotesque cascade of blood and viscera…before they all three came to a stop in mid-air, and all began to retract and swirl together into one concentrated spot, where the pieces all began to recollect and piece themselves back together into one singular human form.
Within seconds, this veritable vortex of blood finally dissipated as the last bits of itself became one with the newly reconstructed solo figure that now stood tall and horrifyingly dominating before the standing Heroes: that of nobody else but Overhaul himself…except that now, his beak-shaped plague mask was torn open at the horizontal seams, so that now it was as though the gaping maw of the beak was hanging open like that of a ravenous animal; his chilling golden eyes were now split down the irises between yellow and silver, multiple black vein markings were spreading across his face from within the mask covering his mouth and nose, and his arms were now not only a pulsating venomous black essence, but they were also rippling with muscles, and tipped with Vukodlak's very own steel claws…as were the several other identical arms now protruding from out of his back.
Izuku, Mirio and Sir Nighteye could all simultaneously feel their blood go cold, as the reconstructed and nightmarish amalgamation of Overhaul, Shin Nemoto and Vukodlak stared through all three of them as though they were less than meddlesome insects, before finally settling his horrific gaze upon Eri, who was now trying so hard to try and keep herself hidden behind Sir Nighteye's legs as he kept her close.
And this shift in his focus was immediately noticed and acted upon by Mirio, who immediately proceeded to phase his way into the floor and through the spikes, before propelling himself out and up through the ceiling, phasing into that, and then just as quickly launching out of the ceiling in his own diving maneuver at Overhaul's current blindside; his uninjured arm already fully reeled back and ready to drive straight across his head; his face tense, his beady blue dot-like eyes alight with a determined Heroic fire.
But without him even taking his eyes off of Eri through the spikes, two of the numerous arms emanating from Overhaul's back suddenly made a sweeping and subsequent punching motion in Mirio's direction, just as he began to throw his fist for what was supposed to be the final punctuating blow…
BOOOSH!
Only for Mirio's attacking fist to be met with solid resistance at a place in the air just a full second before he would have made contact with the yakuza's head, like he was hitting one of Vukodlak's Air Shields…right before his whole right arm, down to the shoulder, instantly exploded in a fine red mist, sending his body flying back from the force of it, and crashing hard to the floor mere feet from where Overhaul stood. The instant shock from the pain of this lightning-fast injury had already rendered Mirio unconscious before he'd even hit the ground, he hadn't even had a moment to look and see that his whole right arm was just…gone.
Izuku could immediately feel his stomach twist into multiple sickening knots, as his blood turned to ice at the sight of his senior's horrific injury in the wake of Overhaul's new form, and apparent combination of Quirks he now had at his disposal. And still paying no actual mind to what he'd just done to Mirio, Overhaul continued to stare Eri and Sir Nighteye down, getting all of his arms at the ready to attack once more. "Lemillion…even without the traitor's help, you were, without a doubt, stronger than me…but all of your efforts, even with your Quirk still intact, were for nothing. I was in a seriously bad mood before…but with both these bodies now one with my own…I feel much better than I thought I would; invigorated, even. So…I'LL BE TAKING ERI BACK, NOW!"
While Sir Nighteye valiantly shielded Eri's terrified gaze from seeing what had just happened to Mirio, he himself felt as though his heart were filled with white phosphorous flames, his anger and despair all culminating into one. As his gaze switched between his sidekick, and the monstrosity that now towered over his prone, motionless body.
And all at the same time, as he tried to free himself from his momentary confinement within the spikes, Izuku was trying with everything he had, not to succumb to panic, instead taking what precious seconds he had to try and get as complete a picture of the battlefield as he could; first and foremost realizing that, within the depths of all these spikes, there was no sign of Aizawa or Chronostasis to be seen.
'Alright, alright, FOCUS! Eri-chan is safe right now, Sir Nighteye is still protecting her! Aizawa-sensei and the guy in the white hood are missing, Mirio-senpai is injured and unconscious…and Chisaki somehow managed to not only heal himself and regain his stamina when fusing with his henchman and Vukodlak, but he's also managed to combine at least one of their Quirks with his own, combining his Destruction ability with those Air Shields! Getting close to him is going to be insanely tough, and even more dangerous than it already was! But with things being the way they are right now…I'm the only one left who can actually fight him now!'
While Izuku was coming to this silent conclusion at record speed; Overhaul barely even shifted his gaze from Eri to Mirio's bloody body just to the side of his feet…and from there, to a few specks of his blood visible upon the right side of his repaired short-sleeved jacket. Just the sight of this was able to send a distinctly infuriating shiver across his skin.
"I'm a clean freak. Whenever somebody touches me, I just lose it. I've never been pushed this far before. That being said…I actually feel sorry for you, Lemillion. It must be a suffocating feeling, to watch every single bit of effort you've put towards becoming a Hero be rendered completely pointless. If you hadn't gone and gotten yourself involved with Eri and I; you could've gone on, infected by your worthless dreams.
"When you managed to narrowly avoid getting your Quirk destroyed, you must've felt invincible, just like every other idiotic Hero that thinks their Quirks and victory records make them just that…but now you see and feel the truth. Even if you were to somehow come out of this alive, you'll be left with this permanent reminder I've left you: you're still nothing more than just a stupid kid, blindly following a maddening dream alongside the rest of the filthy, mindless, diseased sheep this society has churned out."
Without Mirio even being conscious to see it, but with everyone else being able to bear horrified witness for him; the extra arms behind Overhaul began to thicken in mass, all simultaneously aiming for the unconscious Hero together, ready to dive in at their wielder's command, and erase Mirio's very physical presence from the face of the earth. "And it's because of that childish stubbornness of yours, that now you've selfishly dragged your peers in to suffer right alongside you. That is the reward for all your efforts! Your friends are all going to die now, AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!"
WOOSH!
A movement of shadows from out the corner of his eye suddenly drew Overhaul's attention from Mirio, just in time to find the sparking form of a furious Izuku flying overhead, just in the process of throwing one of his own rock spies right at him like a massive javelin. However, even that one-second window was all the yakuza/Villain hybrid needed, to bring one of his extra arms up to catch the projectile at the point, and immediately destroy it into another explosion of gravel.
Fortunately, that distraction was exactly what Izuku intended, as the moment he'd thrown the first, he'd immediately followed up with a mid-air sweeping kick, cleanly breaking off the end of another protruding stone spike and grabbing it in one smooth motion, ready to finally close the distance and drive Overhaul into the ground with it; the echoing words of Mirio's unshakable devotion during their initial meeting earlier this very week, ringing loud and clear now as it did ever since then: "Next time for sure! We'll save Eri!"
'We will save her, Senpai! But I'm not about to let you suffer in her place, either! We're all getting out of here together!' With that promise of his own driving every fiber of his body, Izuku once more threw this new spike at Overhaul at near point-blank range, only for the monstrous man to once more intercept it with another of his new arms, destroying it at the touch just like the last one…but this time, he just as quickly followed it up himself, by throwing his body into a crouching spin, allowing yet another arm to lunge up and touch the still-hanging rubble, and immediately reconstruct it into a huge bundle of skyward-pointing deadly spikes, stabbing right into the air where Izuku was still currently airborne.
And it was only through the miraculous addition of his steel-soled boots, that Izuku hadn't been helplessly skewered where he hanged, instead driving his Full Cowl-imbued feet down the lengths of Overhaul's trap, and all through sheer instinctive reflex, rather than any kind of forethought. Even with the fury evident all over his body, there was just as powerful a spike in terrified realization inside the boy's heart, of just how close he'd come.
Unfortunately, as Overhaul watched as Izuku quickly worked his way down towards him, using the exploding spikes like last-second stepping stones to close the distance, he was already sweeping his own arms in front, creating another Air Shield between himself and his young attacker, knowing that gravity would do the rest of the work for him.
Even Izuku could feel his heart leap up into his throat when he realized what his enemy below him was doing, and how he had nowhere near enough time or a foothold to try and get out of the way. For a fragmentary moment, he could just feel the incoming sensation of his charging legs exploding out from under him, leaving him bloodied and helpless on the ground right beside Mirio, before he'd even gotten a chance to try and make a difference in this conflict.
The moment the soles of his boots finally met the invisible surface of Overhaul's Air Shield, Izuku felt his whole body go rigid as rock, just bracing himself for the worst pain he'd experienced yet…but then another moment passed, and another, and he could still not only feel no such pain, but he could even still feel the sensation of his legs, knees, feet and toes beneath him, still in one piece. And when his eyes were finally able to return to reality and see what was going on, he could see that not only were his legs still whole, but that even Overhaul was stricken with wide-eyed surprise that nothing was happening.
Of course, with the momentum of both their attacks having been brought to the briefest halt, Izuku knew there was no way he could launch another attack that Overhaul wouldn't see coming and know exactly how to counter, so for the sake of buying himself another chance, the freckled young Hero was ultimately forced to kick himself back up and away to where he had come from, using the Air Shield like a springboard before Overhaul could try to grab and destroy him himself.
But as Izuku flew back, he could still see Overhaul's surprised quickly return to that chilling hatred in his eyes. "You might have managed to get lucky, but is that really all you have to count on? Is speed and strength really all you're able to do?"
Before Izuku could even start thinking of an argument against such mockery of all he was trying to do here, both of them were suddenly interrupted by the echo of Sir Nighteye's righteously driven battle cry to his young intern: "DEKU, I'LL TAKE HIM ON! YOU TAKE CARE OF LEMILLION AND ERI! GET THEM OUT OF HERE!"
Through the openings in the spikes, the sharp-dressed Hero was rushing with exceptional speed and precision, not even finishing giving Izuku his new objective, before swinging with great power at his wrist, throwing a near invisible hyper density seal from within the confines of his suit jacket, straight at Overhaul, who just as quickly countered by swinging one of his arms before him horizontally, creating another Air Shield just in time for the tiny projectile to meet it, only for it to explode into the tiniest particles at the touch. All the while, his murderous eyes now honed in on the Pro Hero charging his way. "You don't stand a chance."
But while Overhaul was focusing on Sir Nighteye; Izuku had likewise seen what had just happened; and rather than be stricken with despair at how easily their opponent was able to counter every move they threw at him; he was instead stricken with the foundations of a theory, perhaps even a solid idea. But he knew, at this kind of desperate moment, that he couldn't hope to hypothesize and theorize. He only had to go off of the first natural thought that came to his mind, just to be able to make sure he wasn't just seeing things.
This could make a huge difference in how they could all approach this fight from now on, and that was exactly what was racing through Izuku's mind, as he hurriedly dashed in and drove the toes of his boots against several sizeable pieces of rubble on the ground, that had been left from the rock spires Overhaul had destroyed seconds before; sending them all flying fast towards the side of his head…only for another of his back arms to once again swipe another Air Shield in place to take the brunt of the projectile attacks.
But this time, the moment the multiple stones made contact with a resounding series of thuds; instead of exploding into even tinier chunks, they all instead proceeded to coalesce back together into one much bigger chunk, that came crashing down to the floor in one piece, to Izuku and Overhaul's mutual surprise, once the latter heard the impact.
Just like that, Izuku could feel it all once again come together in his head in that single second: 'I think I get it now! When Chisaki absorbed his henchman and Vukodlak into his body, he really did absorb their Quirks to use at his will, too! That's why he's suddenly able to create those invisible shields the same way. And it's not just that, it's like their Quirks have all somehow combined into each other, making these strange hybrids. Since Chisaki's Quirk revolves around both destroying and rebuilding things, the effect carries over to his shields as well…only it seems the effect attached to them alternates with each use, between destroying and rebuilding things! My boots and legs hadn't been damaged or anything of the like, so when I made contact, the rebuilding property had nothing to work with, whereas it did when hit by those pieces of a once bigger piece of rock! Going by that same logic, if Mirio-senpai were to hit one of his shields when it's at the rebuilding phase, it could actually work to repair his injuries, though I can't guess to what extent yet! But so long as we keep track of the times he uses his shields, and which of the two effects come with them, we might be able to work with this!'
Of course, even with his mind racing with the possible ray of hope this theory presented to him, Izuku was just as quick to remind himself to do as Sir Nighteye was telling him: dashing in faster than normal eyes could follow, and managing to successfully grab onto Mirio's collar before springing them both up and over the myriad of spikes back to Eri's side; all the while keeping Aizawa's instructions to not incapacitate himself at the forefront of his mind.
And as his intern was racing back to protect Eri and his sidekick; Sir Nighteye was still gracefully rushing in, flinging another hyper density seal from underhand as he closed distance with Overhaul. "I didn't see Eraserhead within the spikes this entire way. What did you do with him? And where's your right hand man, for that matter?"
Of course, Overhaul didn't look remotely intimidated, instead once more catching the tiny object and destroying it with but a touch. "As you know, I have an interest in Quirk-erasing Quirks! So, right now, he's being given a little tour of our VIP room!"
Sir Nighteye's already piercing gaze only narrowed as he ducked down low mid-sprint, getting ready for any number of evasive moves to follow up on once he got close; all while he could still feel his blood burning hotter with every step. "I guess someone who's so obsessed with destroying other people's Quirks, would only naturally be more terrified of his own getting destroyed in kind, more than anything else! So it's permanent? You've finally completed your Quirk-destroying bullets, is that what I've been hearing here?! And you tried to use one on Mirio?!"
Following the Hero's speedy movements, Overhaul was already instinctively beginning to step back, with a number of his new arms just getting ready to put up a Destroying Wall between them at just the right moment where Nighteye couldn't move out of the way in time. "I was honestly hoping to slip away before any of you got here, and keep their completion a secret. But…"
The fact that the yakuza wasn't even trying to feign ignorance or deny his accusations, would have made it so easy for Sir Nighteye to simply start seeing red, letting his justifiable anger guide his actions. But that was not the kind of Hero he was, and this was far from the time for such recklessness. Instead, he would let his drive, and his overwhelming desire to end this battle and all of Overhaul's plans, be the conduit through which to express his anger at such callousness and cruelty. "YOU WERE TRULY THAT SCARED OF LEMILLION; OF EVERYONE ELSE OUT IN THE WORLD; TO MAKE SUCH A TERRIBLE CREATION?!"
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" This was all Overhaul felt any need to answer such perceived self-righteousness with, as with an impressive speed of his own, Overhaul proceeded to use half his new arms to swipe down and create one large invisible shield before himself and Sir Nighteye, which the white-clad Hero was miraculously able to pinpoint and swerve around completely…only for Overhaul to then use his original left arm to destroy his right alongside the other half of his new arms, just as he began to swing his own body in a swiping motion towards his opponent's new position.
And midway through that swipe, he just as quickly proceeded to reconstruct all those new arms and his right, closing the perceived distance Sir Nighteye had to work with considerably, making it naturally impossible for him to avoid the destroying touch that was now coming his way.
Except, this was exactly what Sir Nighteye managed to do in the end; springing his body up and using his momentum to flatten himself into a horizontal position that just barely managed to squeeze unscathed through the gap between Overhaul's attacking arms, skidding to a stop upon his feet behind the yakuza's back…all while Overhaul himself now had one eye burning directly into his through those glasses upon his face; a spark of realization hitting him. 'Those moves of his aren't particularly fast…but they're undeniably similar. So…he's Lemillion's teacher, huh?'
As Sir Nighteye continued to defiantly stand his ground before this powerful new enemy; for but a moment, his mind couldn't help but think back to one of the earliest days of his taking Mirio in as his intern, particularly of the lesson he had imparted unto him that day: "Observe the opponent, and react accordingly. Gain experience, and learn from it. Rescues, battles, all kinds of hardship; those will become your database."
And after everything he had observed his young sidekick do over the course of just these last few minutes, there was no longer even a sliver of doubt in his mind that Mirio had done exactly as he'd been instructed so long ago, down to the letter. And that thought, even in this heated battle, filled Sir Nighteye's chest with an inferno of pure pride in his protégé. 'Mirio, you honored my teachings. You not only didn't let yourself become swallowed with arrogance and pride because of your Quirk and skills…but you believed what I said and grew stronger, and I'm so proud of you for that. And that's why, now, I have to clear a path for you and the one you want to protect!'
And it was with this mental declaration ringing true in his heart and soul, that Nighteye proceeded to throw three hyper density seals at once with another lightning-fast flick of his wrist, which Overhaul easily honed in on, as he created another large Air Shield for them all to slam harmlessly into, even if they ended up shattering it. This didn't stop Nighteye from once more sprinting in to try and close the distance between them for another attack…but so too did it not stop Overhaul from just as quickly creating another Air Shield with another swipe of his left arm, having come to the same observant conclusion as Izuku had; and as a result, was now just waiting to see this new meddlesome face get reduced to another fine red mist before him, any resulting messes be damned.
However, that was when the most peculiar thing began to happen, something that managed to bring Nighteye to a screeching halt, as he and Overhaul both were hit hard by surprise with this: more than half of the new arms upon the yakuza's back beginning to twitch, jerk and spasm outside of his control, before one by one beginning to extend and throw themselves into the same Destroying Air Shield, destroying themselves all at once while sending the deadly barricade flying forward, forcing Nighteye to dive out of the way before it slammed into and destroyed the wall just behind him. All at once could he immediately recall the very same tactics of invisible walls being used as battering rams that Tunguska had warned them about mere minutes ago.
At the same time, this sudden disruption in his plan of action forced Overhaul to once more put his Quirk into action in order to try and hurriedly rebuild his extra arms, his yellow and silver eyes burning with confused rage. 'What the hell is going on?! It's like they were deliberately acting against my commands! It couldn't possibly be…Vukodlak? Is your consciousness actually still trying to fight me from inside?'
As Overhaul's extra arms once more began to recompose and take solid shape, Nighteye likewise turned his piercing and focused gaze back to his target, his mind likewise still racing: 'If our suspicions are correct, and Vukodlak is indeed working with the League of Villains, considering their betrayal of the Hassaikai, it's possible that his consciousness may still be trying to fight back against Chisaki from inside. And those shields of his; once they were able to destroy the hyper density seals the same as if he touched them with his own hands. But the last time, they just bounced off it unharmed. The two opposing effects of Chisaki's Quirk must alternate through his shields with each use. So if that last one he sent at me had his Destroying property attached, then that must mean the next one he makes will instead have the Repairing property! That just might give me the advantage I need!'
Halfway across the battlefield, upon taking Eri securely into his other arm alongside Mirio, Izuku had come bouncing from one spike to the next, until finally coming to a stop at the face of the newly reconstructed wall through which they had originally come in. He had to work hard to try and keep the gruesome extent of his senior's injuries from Eri's frightened and worried view, but there was really only so much he could do when Mirio was just barely managing to hang onto the consciousness he'd only recently gotten back.
"Eri, please stay close! Mirio, if you can hear me, can you walk?" Izuku's heart was hammering away like there was no tomorrow as he tried to get Mirio to lift his head and look him in the eye. The normally vibrant blonde young Hero's face was already looking frighteningly pale as his beady eyes barely managed to lift up to look at him, slowly managing to get one foot flat on the ground. "Yeah…no…problem…but…after all this…I…still let her down."
There wasn't even any sign of pain evident in Mirio's voice as he struggled to speak, as though his whole body had already gone numb to the loss of his right arm…which, where Izuku was standing, could only lead him to believe that blood loss was finally kicking in, which only made his own heart race that much faster, as he hurriedly turned around and drove a sparking foot straight into the wall, blasting another hole right through it; before just as quickly getting Eri back into one of his arms, and getting his other around Mirio's waist. "Let's get you outta here! This is the way we came in! We need to put some real distance between us and Chisaki right now! Anywhere is bound to be safer than here!"
However, just as Izuku began to step through to the other side, he suddenly felt one of Eri's tiny hands gripping tightly onto the chest of his costume, forcing him to a stop as he looked down confusedly, only to see her pale, delicate face awash with agonizing tears; initially striking him with horror that she had seen the extent of Mirio's injuries…until she finally began to speak up through her sorrowful choking sobs: "No…you've done enough…I…I am so sorry…!"
Izuku could never have begun to know that Eri's sobbing apologies were driven by the echoing verbal barbs in her head, of Overhaul calling her very existence nothing but a curse. For her to see the young Hero that had worked so hard to try and save her, be brought down to such a devastated state, made it impossible for her not to think back on it…and worse yet, actually believe it.
And all as she wept and apologized over and over again, and as Izuku tried and failed to find the words to try and reassure her, only to bring his own gaze up to find something he never expected down the hall that was to be their escape; Mirio, in his steadily returning consciousness, found the physical strength to look back into the battlefield over his and Izuku's shoulders, having the perfect view of Overhaul and Sir Nighteye's ongoing battle.
'It's natural for anyone to initially think that a Quirk like my Foresight would be the ultimate blessing…but I would wholeheartedly argue that it can be just as much of a curse. Over the years, I've lost count of how many times I've tried to change the future that I saw, whether my own or someone else's. But no matter how many times I did it, or how I did it, that future I saw never changed. Even if just by a couple minutes at most, the timeline always corrects itself, simply adding in those few minutes my actions bought into the general reel of film that is someone's fate. It doesn't allow any deviation from the preset future; that is the sole iron-clad rule of Foresight.
'After a while, I began to fear that, by seeing someone's future, I was setting their fate in stone. After I foresaw All Might's death, I've refused to take a peek into anyone else's future. Ever since then, I've only ever used it on myself, and even then, only peeking mere seconds, or a minute at most. If I could do that, I could react accordingly. If there's even a moment I can see, wherein Chisaki might be able to touch me, I can counter it, even if it may only buy me nothing but a sliver of time extra.'
This was the only aim that Nighteye was going for, as he continued to dart this way and that as he closed further and further in. Following his movements, Overhaul's arms were already swiping this way and that, creating a simultaneous number of Air Shield around himself. It didn't even matter to him if they alternated between destroying Nighteye on contact or not; so long as he could completely cut off his approach; that would give him the time to skewer the Hero from below like a pig where he stood.
But just before his arms could finish closing their sweeping arcs, thus solidifying his array of invisible barriers, Overhaul once again felt his arms forcibly freeze in place, before just as quickly sweeping outwards away from each other, thus leaving an open gap in his Air Shield wall, just enough for Sir Nighteye to squeeze through mid-leap; his razor sharp gaze having been following the individual movements of all of the yakuza's arms the entire time, and keeping track of the alternating pattern of effects with which they would subsequently have.
Because of this, Nighteye proceeded to swerve out of the way to his left, before hopping up and springing off of one of the invisible shields he'd deduced would have the harmless Reconstruction effect, giving him a high-ground advantage just as Overhaul's right hand reached the floor, destroying it from under Nighteye's feet, and quickly reconstructing them back into large spikes.
However, Nighteye's speed and time advantage allowed him to avoid getting skewered, as he momentarily flew towards Overhaul, who only now was able to start moving the rest of his arms again in reaction.
With only so many options while in the air, Nighteye proceeded to fling another two hyper density seals down towards Overhaul, who quickly destroyed both with two of his extra arms reaching up to catch them dead-on. And at the angle with which Sir Nighteye was dropping down before him, Overhaul was already preparing to bring both his real arms around to the Hero's sides, and destroying him with them before his feet could even touch the ground. There was no possible way for Nighteye to move out of the way while he was freefalling like this, and they both knew it.
But just before contact could be made from either of the two men, Overhaul once again felt that infuriating disruptive jolt shoot through his body, freezing all of his arms in place once again, just short of being able to finally grab and kill Nighteye where he landed. And the Hero himself immediately capitalized on this last-second opportunity the moment he felt his feet touch the ground, by finally placing a hand upon Overhaul's head; his own vision immediately becoming overwhelmed with a quickly developing image of the yakuza's immediate future. This would be the moment that would officially paint for him exactly how this mission was going to end for all of them; the thing that would either fortify his fighting spirit…or break it.
'This is the last sliver of hope we can cling onto now. I've done everything in my power, Chisaki, to keep you from getting the future you've been clawing your way towards. Even if my actions here today are only delaying the inevitable, this is the best course of action I could possibly take. It's time to finally know.'
At long last, the picture was becoming clear; the picture of Chisaki Kai's preset future…and what Sir Nighteye saw before his eyes, had stricken his entire body with a frigid cold all throughout, like the very cold of the grave: for all he could see before him, was the faces of Izuku and Mirio, both boys stricken with despair as inconsolable tears flowed down both their faces. And the fact he was seeing this in relation to Overhaul's future, made this foreboding sensation even more suffocating.
'Then…there truly is no hope. Even if they both somehow live…our defeat is inevitable.'
And in that spare moment of Sir Nighteye's physical tension releasing as he let the despair of his vision take hold of his heart, Overhaul could once more feel his control of all his arms coming back, and he immediately began to act on it, by reaching several of his extra arms down to the floor in preparation to destroy and reconstruct it into more spikes under the Hero's feet; while at the same time reaching for his sides with the rest of his arms all at once. In any other circumstance, he would have easily seen this as disgustingly messy overkill. But after all of the snags in his plan that had been put in place by these Heroes and their intrusion, he was more than ready and willing to ensure all of their destruction as thoroughly as possible.
The sound of the floor being destroyed from underneath his feet barely even registered in Sir Nighteye's ears, even as his vision began to return to the present, just in time to see the pure malice in Overhaul's gaze as the two men locked eyes. Less than a second from now, the yakuza knew his spike trap would be made, and Sir Nighteye would be left nothing more than a skewered hunk of meat before him. Then, with him out of the way, it would be simplicity itself to get Eri back once and for all.
WOOOSH!
But the sound of something small zipping through the air from a direction other than Sir Nighteye himself, forced Overhaul to look back to the direction Izuku, Mirio and Eri had fled through, just in time to see a brightly glowing golden disk flying fast for his feet, smashing into and destroying his spikes before they could even completely form, sending another dust-up of rubble flying upward on impact as it flew back the way it came. This sudden intrusion and last-second save managed to finally stir Sir Nighteye back into the present fully, as he finally released his handhold on Overhaul and sprung back several paces upon realization of what had almost happened to him.
With his heart racing, he instinctively looked back to see where this saving move had come from, just in time to see none other than the still bloodied form of Tunguska catching the disk in his prosthetic hand; the towering foreign Hero standing defiantly at the opening in the wall, with Izuku, Mirio and Eri still visible behind him.
But before anyone could say anything, an inhuman sound began to emanate from out of Overhaul's entire body, forcing Nighteye to look back and see that the yakuza's body was shaking and jerking uncontrollably, before the black essence crawling all over his body started to build up and expand from out of him; multiple ripples and bulges beginning to move about and push outward from inside it. It was almost as though the constant struggling from Vukodlak inside of him was becoming that much more ravenous, like the Villain himself were trying with all his force to try and free himself from inside his captor, all while Overhaul himself looked just as shocked and confused as everyone else.
SPLOOSH!
Suddenly, two different human arms suddenly sprouted out from the black mass emanating from Overhaul's torso; a pair of arms that he, Nighteye and everyone present were quick to recognize as those of Vukodlak and Shin Nemoto together. And as if that weren't strange enough, it actually looked as though the two arms were specifically fighting with each other, rather than against Overhaul himself; specifically fighting over what they could all immediately recognize as a gun; the very same one that Vukodlak had knocked out of Nemoto's hands and destroyed when first stepping onto the battlefield in his Tunguska disguise. In the process of Overhaul having drawn both their bodies to himself to absorb, he had inadvertently ended up pulling in the remains of Nemoto's weapon along with him, and in the process of destroying all their bodies and absorbing them into one, he had ended up doing the same to the gun in the process as it ended up getting swept into himself with them, reconstructing it into a functional state once again.
And what Nighteye quickly noticed, to his immense distress after knowing what he now did, was that the gun was clearly loaded.
"Damn you, you're proving more trouble than you're WORTH!" As Overhaul roared this furious declaration, he lunged his right hand towards the arm he knew to be Vukodlak's, grasping onto it and applying his Destruction ability to it, at the very same moment the two struggling arms incidentally ended up pulling the trigger to the gun they were fighting over, firing one of the reloaded Quirk-destroying bullets at the very same moment that Vukodlak's arm exploded…and at the very same moment that, by an astronomical chance, the barrel of the gun had lined its sights directly at Mirio's back while he had his head hanging from the exhaustion.
Even for as quick as Tunguska and Izuku were to realize that the gun was aiming at Mirio as it fired, with the large Russian already proceeding to step in between it and the injured young man; Sir Nighteye's own heightened reflexes were just that much faster, enough so for him to go bounding for Mirio before the gunshot had even finished reporting, not even wasting a moment to think before practically throwing himself in an Olympian sprinter's desperate dive forward.
With his bespectacled eyes wide with drive and protective intent, and just as the sound of his young sidekick's name began to rush up his throat in an instinctive outcry—
THHHIP!
A sudden piercing sensation slammed hard into his upper back, knocking his momentum and trajectory off just enough to send the otherwise agile and athletic Pro Hero off-balance and tumbling forward directly into Tunguska's ready arms, as he immediately rushed forward to catch Sir Nighteye at the moment of impact.
As he lay listless for those few moments in Tunguska's hands, all Sir Nighteye could even think of was his repetitious mantra of wanting to protect Mirio, Izuku and Eri at all costs…and all the while, both his interns, the little girl and Tunguska alike could only look on in speechless horror at what they just saw happen, at the tiny now-empty syringe-tipped bullet embedded in his upper back.
Before a single one of them could do anything to prevent it, without even a moment's hesitation or show of regret, and not even a sound of it; Sir Nighteye, the former sidekick of All Might himself, a highly decorated Pro Hero in his own right, had just thrown himself before Mirio in an incomparable act of self-sacrifice, and had gotten hit dead-center by one of the Shie Hassaikai's dreaded perfect Quirk-destroying bullets.
And as this unspeakable incident occurred, Overhaul had likewise finally quelled the internal instability within himself once more, as the black essence began to reconfigure itself firmly to his body in shape, as Shin Nemoto's gun-wielding arm retracted back within the void, leaving the young yakuza standing alone once more in his monstrous form, looking up with his cruel split-colored eyes to see what had just happened to his foe.
And at the sight of Sir Nighteye slumped down to his knees as Tunguska knelt down with him with worried eyes; all Overhaul could do…was laugh, drawing the attention of all those still standing before him. "This is precisely what I mean, why all you Hero-types are diseased! You've no sense of self-preservation, no grasp of practicality! Your Quirks make you utterly insane! You throw yourself in the path of oblivion for a child barely hanging on, and for what?! Who has your needless sacrifice actually saved?! Your foreign friend can barely stand up, let alone carry on your fight for you, and the freckled brat can't possibly risk leaving Eri alone to try and save you or fight me! Face it; YOU'RE ALL LOST NOW!"
With that and another powerful slam of his hand to the floor, Overhaul immediately turned all of the rubble left across the destroyed floor into an oncoming veritable tidal wave of spikes, ready to annihilate Sir Nighteye and Tunguska where they knelt, bracing himself for the cathartic sensation of knowing he was going to destroy these Heroes before the eyes of their young charges, and finally extinguish the very last glimmer of hope for rescue Eri could possibly have.
STOOMP!
But halfway through his attack, a bolt of green electrical energy suddenly caught his eye, just before a massive shockwave of wind tore through the battlefield, forcing his arms up to protect himself, while his oncoming spikes were both stopped dead in their tracks, and reduced to gravel, revealing none other than a Izuku, his once innocent face the very picture of animalistic fury, as numerous green sparks emanated from his entire body, especially his feet.
But even a counter like this wasn't about to stop Overhaul's momentum, either; as he immediately followed up by swinging every one of his arms in a complete arc towards the young boy before him; the sheer force behind his arms already propelling the resultant massive Destroying Air Shield straight for Izuku like an unstoppable force of nature.
SHOOM! BKOOOM!
But with the sudden sound of a projectile being fired, the entire invisible wall suddenly was destroyed in another powerful shockwave that shook the entire battlefield. For the moment he had seen what Overhaul was about to do to Izuku standing before them all as a protector; Tunguska had immediately acted by leveling his prosthetic arm forward, and with enough focus through the mental link he had with it, he fired the remaining piece of his fake arm from the stump like a cannon, sending it with all that power directly into the shield, destroying both the shield and the arm on contact, and effectively saving Izuku…and most importantly, buying him the perfect window.
"THANK YOU, TUNGUSKA!" As Izuku cried out this show of thanks for his other teachers' help, he proceeded to dart like a glowing green blur for the same enlarged piece of repaired rock that had been left from his theory test minutes ago, driving another sparking foot straight into it like a professional football player, and sending it barreling straight for the still-recovering Overhaul's blindside.
But all that motion still managed to catch the corner of his vision, and by gut instinct, he swerved and brought his extra arms back to the floor, protecting himself with an immediate skyward wall of spikes, skewering and shattering Izuku's projectile into gravel.
'He stomped the ground to throw off my aim…and what's with this sudden boost in speed and power? This is nothing like what this boy was doing before! Was he actually not fighting me seriously back then?!'
However, this couldn't have been farther from the truth. Even then, Izuku had been giving his all. But he hadn't been fighting with the amalgamation of fear, anger and desperation that was now burning painfully in his chest right now, after seeing what Sir Nighteye had just done for Mirio, and then hearing Overhaul belittle all like it meant nothing. There was no way he could possibly forgive such callousness, and that on top of everything they now knew he'd been doing to Eri until now, only made his adrenaline and fighting spirit skyrocket all the more…but that didn't mean this sudden untouched surge of raw power coursing through Izuku's body didn't hurt like nothing he'd ever experienced before, either.
'My muscles and bones are really grinding! My whole body's screaming out! But…I can still move! If Tunguska can help Nighteye, Mirio and Eri escape from here, that means I can fight to protect them! Everything hurts, so I won't last long…but…I can move, that's all that matters right now! This isn't like the limit I'd reached before…it's so much greater now! This must be…ONE FOR ALL…20 PERCENT!'
Even as Izuku glowed and rippled with sheer power before him, Overhaul showed no sign of cowering in fear. If anything, his yellow and silver eyes reflected a genuine sense of fascination at this sudden change; the kind of fascination that only encouraged his own fighting spirit in turn, readying all of his hands for the incoming fight. "You realize things have only gotten worse since your reinforcements showed up, right? Give it up, before you all die and only manage to prove me right!"
"I'm not gonna let that happen! Even if it is set in stone! I'LL SMASH RIGHT THROUGH THAT FUTURE!" With that heart-rending battle cry given loud and crystal clear, Izuku proceeded to launch with even greater inhuman speed and precision towards Overhaul; whose menacing eyes only continued to drill into him in preparation, watching every millimeter and millisecond of his movement for the first opportunity to put an end to this foolish child's bravado.
The air of tension that now hung in the dorm commons area was so thick, one could've easily been able to cut it with their own fingers. As Izuku had to take several deep breaths to try and keep himself from getting too emotional when recounting this moment; his whole body trembling all the while; Nikolay, Mina, Kyouka, Tenya and Momo were all visibly shaken. Each of their faces reflected a variety of emotions between wonder at Izuku apparently reaching a whole new threshold with his Quirk; horror at Aizawa somehow disappearing, and Vukodlak and his multiple Quirks being absorbed into Overhaul's arsenal, alongside Sir Nighteye losing his Quirk; sadness at Mirio being so horrifically injured along with just the thought of the poor little girl they were all fighting so hard to save, and unbearable anticipation as to how on earth Izuku managed to finish the battle after all of this.
"My God…all this week, I kept seeing this sad look in all your eyes whenever we talked about you all telling us what happened…but especially from you, Midoriya-san. I…I never could've imagined…but now I understand." This was the first thing Nikolay could finally say as he looked apologetically to Izuku, feeling as though he'd made a mockery of such a traumatic experience his friends had all gone through, just for the sake of sating all their curiosity as classmates. Even beside him, Tenya was looking similarly crestfallen, primarily at the thought of Izuku's teacher having suffered a similarly tragic fate on a different level from that of his own. It was such a cruel thing for the two friends to now say they had in common, among other things.
Similarly, Momo couldn't help but give voice to her own train of thought: "If that bullet that hit Sir Nighteye indeed had the effect he believed it did…then that must've had something to do with all your absences yesterday, didn't it? For such a celebrated and well-known Hero to suddenly not have the Quirk that got him that far anymore, it would only make sense, especially with the help of all of you who fought alongside him, to help with organizing an official retirement announcement further down the road, doesn't it?"
"I just can't stop thinking about that poor girl, being kept by such a monster as that Chisaki guy! I didn't even think he could somehow get worse from what you'd already told us before, Midori-kun! God, it all sounds so freaky, I don't know if I even could've been able to do anything against someone like that."
As Mina proceeded to open up with the inner fear she was suffering from just after hearing about Overhaul's expanded power secondhand; Nikolay's eyes had finally fallen to his own two resting hands, gazing upon the cross-shaped scar upon his right. "All of you went through so much hell already…and to think, the first thought that comes to my head when I hear you get stronger, Midoriya-san…is how much I actually want to try sparring with you again, just to compare us. What kind of friend thinks that after hearing what you just told us?"
All at once, Nikolay could just feel Mina, Tunguska, Eijirou, Kyouka and Ochako all getting ready to try and give their reassurances that he had nothing to apologize for; while at the same time, Tenya and Momo were likewise preparing to voice their own respective scolding for such careless thoughts in the wake of such painful recollections on Izuku's part.
But when Izuku finally lifted his head and looked Nikolay dead-on, his voice managed to silence everyone else. "Please, don't beat yourself up for that, Kolya-san. We made the promise to help each other improve, grow stronger. Nobody ever said that had to stop when we got back from the Training Camp. Given all our shared goals, it's only natural we would want to test our own growth in strength with each other when we find out the other has improved as well. Honestly, after hearing how you fought up in Hokkaido, I'd even had the same thought going through my mind, too."
This admission from their normally awkward freckled friend, thankfully managed to diffuse whatever disapproval Tenya and Momo had been prepared to express, while it likewise helped to ease some of the guilt visible in Nikolay's eyes, much to Mina, Tunguska and Eijirou's relief.
However, looking back down to his own hands as he continued to think back, the warm faint smile on Izuku's face slowly began to sink, as his green eyes began to tremble with simmering emotion, with Ochako and Tsuyu just barely beginning to look the same as they looked in silent knowing to each other. "But even after reaching that new limit of mine…it didn't make the battle any easier. If anything…things only seemed to keep getting worse and worse."
And there it is, everyone: the new chapter for this week, and what I can only imagine is a big game changer in the eyes of many long-time veteran MHA fans out there. I hope you all enjoyed what you read here today, and if so, please be so kind as to write a review letting me know your thoughts and feelings. It would be so appreciated, everyone, seriously.
I hope you all have a great week, a Happy Halloween for those of you who celebrate it, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 11/05!