It had been a long and drawn-out fight but several of the veteran members of the raid team, that is Sir Nighteye, Shadow Rider, Eraserhead and Suneater had finally arrived to join the battle. The members of Kai's Eight Bullets that had stayed behind to stall them had taken their toll on the group however with Fat Gum and Rock Lock having been injured or worn out in the process. Indeed, it had taken great effort just to allow Esper to get free and move ahead of them, given how important she was to drawing Xellos away so Eri could be rescued.

What greeted the heroes, however, was far, far worse than anything they could have imagined. Even the shaking and crashing they heard as they reached the last level couldn't have prepared them. "What…what the hell?" Mirai breathed out as the destruction lay bare before them.

The four stood looking out at a massive hole blasted into the ground, revealing another level below where most of the rest of the team stood. Several members of the Eight Bullets lay incapacitated and the ceiling above them had been completely blasted away, revealing the open sky. Standing tall amongst it all, however, was one Kai Chisaki, Overhaul himself, or at least, that's who Mirai thought he was looking at.

Looming over his and Shadow Rider's protégés, the bi-speckled hero could be forgiven for thinking he was looking at some horrid monster instead of a man. Easily twenty feet tall, Kai was now heavily muscular, and he slumped forward to accommodate the second torso that now emerged from his back in the vestige of the massive man that had ambushed them at the start of all of this. It was as though the second upper body hovered over Kai protectively, the second set of arms menacingly clenching their fists as Rikiya's head bowed down toward his master as though in reverence.

The heroes had arrived just in time to hear Kai speak, his voice booming "I admit that having been covered with filth that I lost my cool before, far worse than I ever did in the past. Fusing with the scum of the earth to give myself the strength to take what is rightfully mine was very disturbing and I can say I wasn't in my right mind." Then, noticing the new arrivals, Kai wasted no more time in acting, throwing one of his 'normal' hands down and on touching the earth, caused the ground below everyone's feet in front of him to explode in a chaotic mass of spikes. "Now, though, its time to take back what's mine!"

Few, if any of the heroes heard that last part though as they did their best to avoid being hit by the very earth rising to impale them. This assault wasn't just limited to Michiru's group but Mirai's as well, the spikes exploding outward up the walls of the vast room and up onto the ledge of the floor above. Shouta noticed almost too late that Terra was on the edge of the hole, barely standing and clearly in pretty bad shape. "Esper, look out!" he called as he threw himself at the greenette as the stream of spikes approached them.

Shouta's larger frame was enough to push Terra out of the way of the attack though in her weakened state she went tumbling to the ground once more. Her body screaming at her, the half esper pushed past the pain and lifted herself up enough to look back at her savior. What she saw horrified her. Shouta was there, held aloft by several spikes piercing his body, blood dripping onto and down the spike that kept him there.

Panic in her eyes, Terra looked frantically to see if the underground hero was still breathing. To her great relief and by some miracle, Shouta was indeed still alive, none of his vital spots having been hit. Meanwhile, Tamaki had shot out octopus tentacles that he used to raise himself up along with Mirai, whom he had grabbed. Those tentacles he stood on got impaled as well and it hurt like hell but on the whole neither were injured. Celty had done much the same with her shadows, using them to keep her above the attack.

The three unharmed heroes watched as Shouta, through sheer force of will, managed to keep himself conscious through the pain and address Terra. "Esper…you need…to finish what *cough* what we started. Save…save Eri!"

Her own pain forgotten, Terra's face tightened into a determined scowl. As Celty used her shadow blades to break the spikes holding him, Shouta cringed in pain as she gently set him on the ground. The perpetually tired hero remained awake just long enough to see Terra stand, her body suddenly awash in pink energy once more as her form changed and she snarled "I WILL! I will save her!"

Things were at least as messy down below, where Kai had primarily directed his attack. Zelgadis had no time to cast Raywing to fly or a barrier to protect himself from the spikes. His rocky skin protected him from impalement but he was sent flying followed by a hard landing amongst the upheaval and was slow to get up. Michiru similarly shifted to produce a turtleshell which she was able to hide in but it, too, was sent flying as she got repeatedly impacted by spikes, leaving the tanuki girl unharmed but very dizzy in the aftermath.

Emeralda, now a smaller target to hit, was still grazed by several spikes, though she had shifted all her limbs into shields. Her smaller frame, combined with the suddenness of the attack meant the metal shields were thin, however and once one was pieced, the poor girl lost control of herself as she was picked up into the air. Several more spikes ran through her barriers, stabbing her several times, though not deeply. Once the spikes stopped, Emeralda found herself bent at several odd angles as she dangled above the ground. Reverting her limbs freed her, but she plummeted to the ground and landed hard.

Izuku, through a combination of luck and speed, was able to avoid being hit by the spikes all together and was overall in the best shape of the group but it meant he was the first to see what had happened to his fellow intern.

Izuku's attention was drawn to Eri's crying, not far from where he had landed. There he saw the girl cradling Mirio's head as he lay, cringing in pain. The phasing hero's blonde hair was soiled by his own blood, sprayed from the wounds inflicted on him by multiple spikes. "No…its too much! Why, why is this happening!?" Eri sobbed.

Mirio, despite the grave injuries, gritted his teeth and reached out a gloved hand to pat the young girl on the head "Hey…its ok. As long…as long as you're safe, its all worth it. You, ugh, you need to get away Eri. Go…go with Deku, please."

Izuku knew immediately what must have happened. Mirio had shielded Eri from the attack and since he can't make anything else impermeable, the only way to do that was to get her out of the way with his own body. All Might's successor clenched his teeth as he readied himself to do exactly as Mirio was asking when Kai spoke again, his voice taunting "You see that, Eri? Doesn't that boy look familiar? He was there the day you escaped from me! He came for you, and look where it got him! Like so many others, he has been brought to pain and ruin because of you, Eri, cursed child that you are!"

Izuku was livid at Kai's horrible words but he knew he couldn't let his anger get the best of him. He could try and get Eri away right then and there, as Mirio wanted but as was just demonstrated, Overhaul could well have more tricks to unleash Izuku didn't know about. Taking the mad yakuza on directly was the other option. Overhaul was at this point the only threat remaining and if Izuku could at least distract him and maybe even neutralize him, another hero could get Eri and Mirio to safety.

The choice was made for the freckled hero however, when Eri, emotionally beaten almost beyond recovery, let out another flash of light as her quirk ran wild once again. Now, as least, she was no long touching anyone since Mirio lost the strength to hold his hand up and Eri had backed away as Kai taunted her.

Now unable to touch Eri for fear of being de-aged or worse, Izuku charged at the towering abomination. Izuku had already gone to his limits when he attacked Overhaul before and knew if he wanted to do any damage, he was going to have to push past those limits. Relying on his enhanced speed to get within Kai's four arms reach, the freckled boy put twice as much as he felt safe of One for All into his legs as he leapt forward, leg out for a mighty kick to kai's midsection.

Kai still had Kendo's quirk but even with the enhanced speed of his arms, his attacker was faster. The green clad boy that had avoided his massive spike attack was on him, ad Kai was unable to dodge. With green electricity arching across his body, Izuku screamed "I'll save Eri! SMASH!"

The kick connected with a massive boom that crashed into Kai's ribcage, breaking multiple bones on contact and causing the masked behemoth to cry in pain as he doubled over, covering his midsection with his hands.

Izuku was much worse off. After the hit, his body fell backward from the recoil, the pain screaming at him, his leg shattered. Hitting the ground, Izuku could only lay there groaning, fully aware that if his pant leg were missing, he'd see a limb twisted and broken, encased in swollen, purple skin. His gamble had failed and now he, too, was left unable to move as Kai used his original quirk to heal the damage he'd just been dealt.

"Not bad kid, you've got some raw power there but its unrefined and the recoil looks to be crippling. Too bad for you. See Eri, another hero laid to ruin because of you!" Kai mockingly explained as he raised two of his fists, intent on smashing Izuku into a bloody paste. "Burn this into your eyes! AHHH!"

As Kai began to smash downward, he was engulfed in flame that burned the flesh and hair off his chest. Even his mask caught fire. Terra came swooping in, a trail of pink energy following behind her as she flew in wild patterns as she peppered Kai with more magical fire blasts.

With four arms, Kai was able to heal himself and still take somewhat wild swings at Terra, at least keeping her from having the time to cast a larger spell like the one she had started with.

While Terra was locked in battle with Kai, Michiru, Zelgadis and Emeralda were able to get their bearings and moved to gather their downed comrades. Zelgadis was closest to Mirio and when he came within earshot of the very seriously injured hero intern and the weeping girl near him, the chimera couldn't help but feel deep, burning regret for allowing this to happen while he clung to his selfish wants and said as much. "LeMillion…this is my fault. This is all my fault."

With blood dripping from his head and mouth, Mirio did his best to force a smile as he weakly replied "You idiot, there's…there's no time…for…for that. Eri. Take Eri and go, please."

"No…"

Both heroes looked over in shock at the little girl who refused them. "You're hurt because of me! If I wasn't here…if I had just gone quietly, you'd all be ok. Its my fault!" Eri cried, her body aglow.

"A child's answer." Emeralda quietly said as she walked up, her body cut and bleeding all over. Combined with her ragged and oversized clothing, the nanomachine girl presented a rather pathic appearance.

Michiru, supporting Izuku on her shoulder, seconded her de-aged friend "What Emmy means is it doesn't matter if that is true or not. Its not by the way. What matters is what you do now! We're here for you. All this has been for you so if you really feel bad about all this, turn off your quirk and we'll get out of here!"

"Well said Animalia!" Celty called as she, and Mirai arrived from up above, Tamaki having stayed behind to look after Shouta.

Mirai, upon seeing his intern so gravely wounded, rushed to his side "Don't talk Mirio! We'll…we'll get you help!"

The stoic future prognosticator suddenly sensed danger and dodged as what appeared to be a blade rushed at him. He was just slightly nicked but that was all that was needed for him to feel the effects of Chronostatis' quirk "Oh no, you fools are staying right here, right along with the girl!" Kai's lieutenant declared as he shot more hair blades from his head at the other heroes.

Celty leapt into action, at once pulling the younger heroes out of harms way with her shadows while sending several to attack Chronostatis. Shadows crossed blade-like hair and though the shadows succeeded in cutting the time slowing hair, that contact was enough to affect the dullahan. "Shit!" Celty yelled as Chronostatis laughed, hooping back as he sent out more of his hair.

The helmet-wearing shadow-wielder immediately felt the effects of her opponent's quirk, moving at a crawl to try and counter him. Much to her surprise though, her shadows seemed unaffected, and shot forward with as much speed as ever, this time able to counter the yakuza lieutenant completely.

"How the hell did he get back up?" Zelgadis wondered aloud.

"It was after he attacked us." Mirai answered, "Overhaul took that opening to reach over and heal that man."

With Chronostatis kept in check by Celty, the chimera took a moment to survey the situation. Mirio was down and likely bleeding out, Michiru was fine but severely hampered while she held Izuku and Emeralda had mostly superficial injuries beyond her de-aging. How much her abilities were affected though, Zelgadis couldn't be sure. Not far off, Terra continued her assault on Overhaul, but despite how much damage the half-esper was dealing, Shie Hassaikai's leader didn't seem hurt at all.

The heroes could still fight, if barely and seeing the state everyone was in drove a nail into the cynical chimera's heart. Despite what the child said, this mess was his. All he had to do was cast Raywing before and carry the child out of the compound and none of this would have happened. Unlike Eri and unlike his own self just a short while ago, Zelgadis wasn't going to let the responsibility of events keep him from doing what he could to right it.

"TO ME!" Zelgadis called.

Michiru moved as fast as her freckled burden would allow and Emeralda did her best to drag the tall the lanky Mirai with her tiny frame now that he was moving so much slower. Eri wasn't leaving the injured blonde, so Zelgadis had go to her, luckily Mirio was only a few feet from her at this point. At first, it looked like Eri would run from the man that had kept her restrained just a few minutes prior. However, the presence of the other heroes reassured her enough to stay put as Zelgadis approached.

"Windy Shield!" Zelgadis called as he wrapped the group in a barrier of air.

"What are you doing?!" Mirai demanded, "Locking us in place is foolish at best, you need to focus on getting Eri and the injured out of here!"

"Its not that simple!" Michiru answered. "Look at Emeralda, she got that way touching the little girl! Its her quirk, she rewinds things she touches and right now she can't control it so if any of us touch her they could end up like her or worse!"

The bespeckled leader of the raid looked at Eri, then at Emeralda as if seeing the nanomachine girl for the first time. Emeralda though wouldn't meet the man's gaze, as though in shame but it was quite obvious the tan girl was younger than she had been an hour before.

"As long as she is upset and her quirk is running wild, we can't move her! The least I can do is protect you all in the meantime!" Zelgadis answered now that the situation was made clear for their leader.

Just then, Terra's luck ran out. She'd managed to keep out of Overhaul's reach till now, while hitting him with enough magic to level a small army but with his regenerative ability, she had to keep dodging and weaving out of his four arms reach. This time, though once such swipe found it's mark, sending Terra crashing into a layer of spikes that left her heavily injured, causing her to once again revert back to human form.

With Terra out of the way, Kai looked down at the dome-like barrier protecting his prizescoffing as he spoke "Please, you really think that protection of yours can still hold me?" Then, the fused giant leader of the Shie Hassaikai locked each pair of hands and sent them down, smashing into Zelgadis' barrier.

With both hands up and fully ready for the blow, the sorcerer was able to absorb the massive pair of strikes, but only barely. "You ok Zel?" Michiru worriedly asked, seeing the strain on Zelgadis' face. Kai was sent backward, such was the force he had brought to bare only to have it bounce off of the protective spell.

Instead of answer his friend though, the chimera looked at the boy she was supporting "Deku…your injury, that was from your quirk, right? Overhaul didn't do that to you?"

Embarrassed and ashamed, Izuku could barely make eye contact with the others in the group as he answered "No, he didn't. I harnessed too much of my quirk and wrecked my leg. I'm so sorry!"

"Damnit it, Deku, don't apologize, think!" Zelgadis snapped, fully aware they only had moments before another attack came.

"What are you getting at, Magus?" Mirai asked, himself annoyed by Zelgadis at this point.

"How much are you holding back to avoid hurting yourself, Deku? Quickly!" Zelgadis pressed.

"Oh! Umm…quite a lot, actually. I don't think I'm using even half as much power as I could." The freckled boy just as quickly replied.

"Then this whole battle may come down to you…and Eri." Came the chimera's response as his gaze settled on the little girl.

"HA! All that girl is good for is cursing anyone foolish enough to get close to her!" Kai interjected, having gotten his bearings with his new much enlarged body and recovered from the recoil of his previous attack.

"What about Xellos!" Michiru countered, "He watched over Eri and all that's happened to him is getting the better of you!"

At the mazuku's name being mentioned, Eri's face scrunched up as if she had just been stabbed, a reaction not lost of the girl's foster father as he answered "And just where is Xellos now, hmm? He abandoned her, now didn't he? The traitor may not have been around long enough to be afflicted by the curse but in the end, he too left the girl behind, didn't he?"

Michiru didn't have a good answer for that and was left with nothing else to say as Kai continued "I'm wiling to bet I could crack that egg of yours with one more good hit but then I'd have to go to the trouble of putting Eri's smashed remains back together again. No, I think there is an easier way."

As he spoke, Kai's eyes landed on Terra's prone form and Zelgadis knew immediately what the yakuza had in mind. "NO!" he screamed just as Kai touched the ground and sent another wave of spikes to kill the half esper that had stalled him.

Without a second thought, Zelgadis dropped the barrier and flew as fast as his magic would carry him. Flinging himself in front of his friend's prone form, the sorcerer had enough time to cast a quick earth spell of his own to try to counter the oncoming spikes.

Michiru watched her friend throw himself in front of the attack and momentarily forgot she was keeping Izuku upright as she reached out for the chimera, yelling "ZEL!"

Just as her arm began to stretch out in an attempt to pull Zelgadis back, Izuku brought her back to reality "Wait, Animalia! Trust Magus, if you get caught up too, Crescens will be left to defend everyone if you get hurt too!"

As for Zelgadis, his plan only worked partially, as his own wave of displaced earth only stopped the spikes toward the edges. What of left, smashed right into the chimera, and this time, his rocky skin wasn't able to protect him from impalement.

With a spike through his stomach and arm, Zelgadis was still able to look over and see that he had at least managed to keep Terra from being hit. With the last of his strength, the rock-encrusted sorcerer called "ERI! Remember exactly what Xellos told you! Now's the time! Stand up! With…Deku!" Michiru could only look on in resigned horror as her friend lost consciousness as well.

Kai wasn't about to waste time now that nothing stood between him and Eri and he moved to attack again as he spat "Please! Eri is MINE!"

As Kai moved to grab Eri though, another girl stood in his way. Now Emeralda stood tall, placing herself between the behemoth and the others. Kai noticed to late, a pair of his fists already barreling toward the small tan girl. Before they could make contact as intended though, each was caught by massive metal bands that had a moment earlier been Emeralda's hair and arms.

Kai hadn't planned to use his quirk against the girl, fully aware of what had happened last time. Emeralda, though, intended to force the issue as she began pushing her nanomachine cells into Kai's body. This forced him to effectively do what Emeralda had before, that is, use his quirk to force her cells back, recreating the deadlock they had been engaged in before. "Damn you, girl! Why must every fool get in my way!"

"He is much stronger than he was before…I can only hold him off for so long." Emeralda explained as she stood there locked with Kai.

Their protection gone, Emeralda had managed to buy the group a few precious moments to act. On hearing Zelgadis' words, it clicked for Izuku what the blue-skinned lighter was getting at. "Animalia! Set me down by Eri, Now!"

Michiru didn't have time to question her teammate and complied, setting Izuku down by Eri. Without a word, the freckled boy embraced the girl as Michiru and Mirai said in unison "Deku, no!"

As he held her, Izuku whispered to the girl "Its ok, Eri, It's ok. Greywards-san is right, you know. Xellos said you needed to stand up on your own. We…we're here because we wanted to be, Eri. We wanted to save you and we knew we could get hurt. That's not your fault. Being yourself…being alive is never your fault."

Mirai and Michiru watched on, terrified of what would happen, but instead of a second Emeralda-like event on their hands, the two heroes found that Izuku's leg had healed. As Izuku let go, Eri stood, her head down, her silver bangs obscuring her face. The girl trembled with what the others could only guess could have been fear, frustration or the pain of so much loss and depredation.

Finally, almost too soft for anyone to hear, Eri whispered "I want to fight…"

Michiru, with her enhanced hearing, began to crack a smile, despite all that was going on. Mirai and Izuku, though, didn't have such advantages and the freckled boy rose to his feet as well before leaning in to ask "What did you say, Eri?"

"I WANT TO FIGHT! All I've ever be able to do is what grown-ups have told me and it caused me so much pain! I lost daddy…mommy left and then I lost I lost granddaddy too. But Xellos, he told me I was more, he was the first one who tried! And…and he was the first that helped me to use my quirk! Whether he left me behind or not, I don't care anymore! All I want is for people to stop being hurt and I'll do everything I can to do it!" Eri declared, defiant eyes now glaring up at the man that was the source of so much of her suffering.

"Fight, or run, whatever you do, do it soon! I cannot hold him much longer!" Emeralda called, her younger voice now carrying a hint of desperation.

Just then, several tendrils of shadow shot up and wrapped around two of Overhauls arms, still frozen in place. Celty Slowly approached and said "I got you, Crescens. If you lose your grip, I can buy you some time!"

"Me too." Emeralda heard a familiar morose voice say as a number of squid tentacles shot forward and grabbed hold of the other arms. "Crescens…you look, um, different then the last time I saw you." Tamaki said nervously as he too appeared.

Emeralda frowned but said nothing as she tried to hold her focus and keep Kai contained for as long as she could. However, whether due to his own increased strength or her current state, she found she couldn't keep it up any longer lest she lose hold of the stalemate. Instead of risking getting absorbed herself, Emeralda was forced to break her hold, calling out "I'm sorry, I'm at my limit!"

Celty and Tamaki's timing had been perfect as they were able to keep Overhaul held in place when Emeralda lost her hold just long enough for their heavy hitter to enter the fray. "You ready to help me take this guy down, Eri?" Izuku said, kneeling down and offering his back for her to climb onto.

Eri eagerly nodded and climbed onto the freckled boy's back, prompting Mirai to say "Here, let me help at least a little" as he ripped the sleeves off his jacket and handed them to Michiru to wrap the little girl tightly to All Might's successor.

As Kai fought to break free of his confides he saw what was happening and spat "Come on boy! You broke against me before, what makes you think you'll do any better this time! As soon as I am free, I will make sure Eri watches you all DIE!"

The moment Eri was pressed against him, Izuku began channeling One for All at one hundred percent through his body. He had to admit, the difference was incredible. The power he could feel coursing through him was indescribable and he knew exactly where to direct it all. "Ready Eri?" he said, briefly looking over his shoulder.

"Yes!" The girl declared.

That was all Izuku needed to hear and he pushed with all his might up into the air as he yelled "SSSMMMAAASSSHHH!"

The battle cry was all Celty and Tamaki needed as a signal to let go just as Izuku's fist smashed hard into Kai's jaw as the green-haired boy used an uppercut to deliver a mighty blow.

The yakuza leader had begun to get a sinking feeling even before the green clad boy had hit him. These heroes knew the boy had tried already, with his leg no less, and yet, they held him so the child could try again. So Kai was less than shocked when the upward punch actually hurt. What he wasn't ready for was to be sent skyward with the blow. Despite his increased strength and mass, Kai could only watch wide-eyed and in immense pain as Izuku and the other heroes grew smaller and he flew skyward.

As Kai emerged from the great hole in the ground that Xellos had created, the Shie Hassaikai head at least consoled himself, knowing the distance would give him a chance to heal his dislocated jaw. As Kai put a hand on his face, he took a moment to take in the view below. As much as he now hated the traitor, Kai could at least admire the destruction Xellos had wrought. Emergency services vehicles were everywhere as bits or earthen debris dotted the area around his home.

That moment, it turned out, was the only moment Kai had. Before he knew it, Izuku had shot past Kai, having overestimated just how high and fast he could jump with his quirk at full power. Kai turned to face the freckled daughter-thief, this time bracing for a hit by blocking with all four of his arms. It didn't matter. With green electricity arching all across his body, his hair raised and eyes glowing with unrestrained power, Izuku punched hard toward the sky to give himself incredible momentum going back downward, turning to face his opponent. Izuku saw Kai was blocking and put everything he had into his next swing as he barreled into the fused villain.

The results were devastating. Kai's body almost completely smashed to pieces, arms and legs not just breaking but shattering in a grotesque shower of blood and bone raining in all directions. His ironic mask blown off his face from the impact rippling through his body.

The punch sent Izuku backward from the recoil as what was left of Kai shot toward the ground. By some miracle, the maskless madman was still conscious and had enough presence of mind to use his quirk to reform his massive body. With Izuku still up in the sky, Kai thought at the very least he'd have the chance to take out the remaining heroes back on the ground and braced himself for impact with his extra arms and torso, which leaned in and over Kai's own forming a ball of sorts.

This unfortunately meant the fused yakuza missed the fact that it wasn't just the ground waiting for him but a large spike that had not been there before. Kai again felt indescribable pain as he landed on and was impaled by the spike and was instantly wrapped in shadows from Celty. The yakuza struggled, writhing in pain and desperate to it off the horrible protrusion but Celty held frim with his shadow biding.

As Kai screamed in rage and suffering, he struggled with every ounce of strength he had but after a moment found himself being lifted up. Michiru had grown into a hulking gorilla, much larger than any found in nature and used that new strength to lift the contained yakuza off the spike, which quickly reformed back into Emeralda. "You ok, Emmy?" the tanuki turned prime ape asked.

As if to reflect her new younger appearance, the tan nanomachine girl made a disgusted face and answered "That was pretty icky but I'm fine! Send him flying Michiru!"

The morphing tanuki complied, winding up as if to pitch a baseball as she yelled "Glady! Shadow Rider!" At the prompt, Celty released her shadows and before Kai could react, Michiru thrust the balled-up monstrosity as hard as she could. Kai unfurled himself to slow his momentum and to regain the ability to see what was going on. What was going on, however, was that he was barreling right for Izuku again! The difference this time though was that Kai was now bleeding from a horrible wound and he knew he couldn't just block the incoming blow, such was Izuku's strength.

No, this time he would have to try and attack. Kai had twice as many arms, so he reasoned there shouldn't be a way for this damn kid to attack and block all at once. Kai had to get Eri away. Not only was getting her back the whole point of this most painful battle but somehow, the girl was making this child stronger. All he had to do was endure another hit long enough to snatch his daughter and Kai could get the hell out of this nightmare.

As he flew closer to the pair that had so completely overpowered him, Kai got a good look at not just Izuku's but Eri's eyes. The girl was clinging to the green clade boy tightly even though she was strapped to him. Still, despite that, there was defiance as well as determination in her eyes and that reality galled Kai to no end. This girl was HIS! She was his to do as he pleased, and he was going to destroy this horrible, dirty world using that child. To see her look at him in such a way…how dare she. HOW DARE SHE!

Activating Kendo's quirk to increase the speed of his arms, Kai swung at the duo with one pair or arms and reached for Eri with the other as he screamed "GIVE THAT GIRL BACK YOU FILTH!"

Two things Kai wasn't expecting happened in that moment. Izuku, instead of trying to dodge or get within Kai's superior reach, instead met the yakuza's fist with his own. At the same moment, the second set of arms reached for Eri and as they came within inches of grabbing her, Eri looked up and reached with her own arm, her dainty finger just touching the hand reaching for her.

All at once the bloody mist of the arm Izuku shattered mingled with the flash of Eri's quirk, creating a burst of pink light that enveloped the three combatants. Moments later the three were now eight as Eri managed to undo Kai's fusion of Kendo and Rikiyo as well as the rebellious underlings who had been protecting Kenichi. Now all fell toward the ground and those heroes who could act moved to catch anyone they could.

Celty and Tamaki caught the lackeys while Ryukyu flew up and got both Kendo and Rikiyu. Michiru caught Kai with her talons, making sure to have him by his shoulders so if he tried he wouldn't be able to reach her. She didn't need to worry as the yakuza leader was too drained to move, hanging limply and his head down.

Izuku could have landed with little trouble but when Ochako came to get him, he let her use her quirk on him. The three of them returned to the ground safely, though slower than the others, which gave Eri a chance to really take in the view as they descended.

It was over. Kai had been defeated and Eri was safe. The cost, however, had been heavy. Many heroes lay severely wounded or worse. Instantly the yakuza were taken into custody and those heroes still on their feet and able began helping first responders down the hole to the wounded.

Michiru carried an EMT down and as soon as they touched ground, the tanuki girl rushed to her friend, worry evident in her eyes "Emmy, how…how is he?"

Zelgadis remailed impaled where he had been attacked, and the medic who came up behind Michiru began checking his vitals. Emeralda looked at the unconscious chimera before saying softly "He is still breathing but I don't know for how much longer."

Michiru let out an involuntary whimper as she covered her mouth with her hands. The tanuki girl had been in multiple life and death situations both back home and since coming to this world but this was the first time she was truly facing the possibility of losing someone. As she watched the medic continue with her work, all Michiru could bare to say was "Nooo…nooo…"

Shaken but more composed, Emeralda asked the EMT "Is it as bad as it looks?"

The young woman had just finished her preliminary check and couldn't help but notice how mature and collected this young girl was being but offered a reassuring pat on the tan girl's shoulder before she said "I was going to sugar-coat it but I get the impression you can handle it young lady. Unless someone shows up with a rapid healing quirk, I don't see how we can save him. I'm sorry."

Michiru turned away at those words, choaking back a sob, no longer able to look at her friend's prone form, his hand still outstretched toward where the group had been during the fight. Emeralda moved to comfort her furry friend, a task made a bit more challenging now that she was shorter.

Thanks to Ryukyu, Ochaco and Tamaki, more medial personnel were arriving to check on Terra and Shouta as well as Mirio, who was at least as bad off as Zelgadis. As Michiru began to openly sob, Emeralda looked around at the devastation. The ground and walls around them were a spikey mess with teams of EMT's now seeing to the wounded. The nanomachine girl couldn't help but think back to her days fighting to save her world, especially after most of the world had been laid to waste by Deus. Kamino Ward had been in similar shape as well after the great battle of titans that was Al Might and All for One.

Emeralda was about to start musing on the destructive nature of the human race when a meek voice broke her and Michiru out of their respective train of thought "U, um, excuse me? I…I think I can help."

The two lighters looked over to see Eri and Izuku, the former had a look that was a mix of eagerness and worry. Michiru whipped a tear from her eye and asked "Wha…what do you mean? How could making him younger help Zelgadis?"

Izuku and Emeralda cringed a bit at the question but given the tanuki girl's aggrieved state, it could be forgiven. "No, Kagemori, Eri's quirk can set someone back to a previous state. De-aging would only happen if it goes too far."

Realization dawned on her and Michiru suddenly shot forward, intending to hug the single-horned girl. Izuku put a hand out however, bringing the morpher up short "Save it for later. Eri's quirk is still unstable and we don't want to risk anything else happening. Let's just focus on saving Greywards-san, ok?"

"Ri-right! Please hurry then!" Michiru said, stepping out of the way.

The medic added "We'll need to get him off those spikes before you do it, and that's going to cause him to lose a lot of blood. You'll only have a small window to try."

"We'll do it then. If he's dying anyway, we don't have anything else to lose." Michiru said, motioning for Emeralda to help. The nanomachine girl nodded and the two displaced girls readied to pull their friend off the spikes. "You ready, Eri?"

For a moment, Eri regarded the man that had held her against her will when all she wanted to do was run and hide. She remembered how angry and desperate he seemed, almost panicked. She remembered the blade he held to her neck, now having fallen out of its scabbard, its blunt edges clear as day. Looking back, Eri was sure that this man had meant her no actual harm. With Izuku there to offer her reassurance, Eri thought back to when she had healed her grandfather. What Xellos had told her and what it felt like to focus and direct this wild power that ran through her. With a determined nod, the single-horned girl said "Yes!"

"You may want to look away little girl, this part won't be pleasant" the medic advised.

Eri refused "I've…seen worse"

Momentarily frozen from the horrible implications of that statement, the medic finally nodded and said "Alright then, if you say so. On three, you two." Michiru and Emeralda nodded as well. "One…two….three!"

At once, Michiru and Emeralda heaved. At first, movement was slow but once the spikes got narrower, Zelgadis came lose. The chimera suddenly jerked awake, groaning in agony as blood began to spill from the gapping wound. The two lighters were able to pull faster now and quickly got Zelgadis pulled off the spikes and placed him on the ground as gently as urgency would allow. The clock had begun ticking and Michiru was now left to watch as she stepped back and allowed Eri to lean over her friend.

Emeralda came to stand beside the tanuki girl and much to her surprise, a tan hand took her furry one. Michiru glanced briefly down at her de-aged friend and couldn't tell if Emeralda was offering her comfort or seeking it herself. Michiru decided it didn't matter because one way or the other, she felt better holding her friend's hand.

As Zelgadis began to convulse, his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Eri took a deep breath and placed her hands on the sorcerer's bloodied chest. There was a brief flash and everyone there waited on baited breath.

When her vision cleared, Michiru's heart felt like it stopped as she waited for something, anything to indicate that it had worked. At the very least Zelgadis was still there and appeared to be the same age and very much still a chimera but whether he was alive or not, that was still in question.

Long, agonizing moments past before finally, Eri leaned back, a satisfied smile on her face. Right after, Zelgadis sat up, his wounds now gone entirely, the holes in his costume the only sign anything had happened. The chimera looked utterly shocked as he looked over at the little girl that had just saved him. His face very much told the tale of a man who couldn't believe someone he had so wronged had done such a wonderful thing for him.

Such considerations were lost however, when a big ball of fur lunged onto Zelgadis, wrapping him tight in an embrace he couldn't hope to escape from. Michiru was at once crying and calling out "You idiot! Dummy! Asshole! We came here together and we're leaving together, you hear me! Don't ever do that again!"

At first Zelgadis just sat there, shocked, a blush spreading across his rocky face. After a moment and several insults, the chimera returned the hug as he said "Sorry Michiru. I guess I'm pretty selfish, huh?"

Michiru let go and shifted over to sit beside her friend before punching a bit harder than one might consider a friendly jab and said "Yeah, that's one way of putting it! If you ever pull anything like that again, I'll kill you!"

"Language!" the medic chided, "There are two young ladies present!"

Izuku took that moment to help Eri back up and said "Well, we'll pardon ourselves. We need to go heal LeMillion now that Magus is ok."

A thought occurred to Zelgadis and, with an eyebrow raised, asked "Wait, was I just the guinea pig? Hey, Deku!"

But the green clad hero intern was already out of earshot and the chimera's question was left hanging in the air. Instead, Emeralda approached Zelgadis and, as if flipping a switch, went from her normal stoic demeanor to a happy, excited child that threw herself at the poor sorcerer much the same way Michiru had just a few moments before. This time though, Zelgadis collapsed and fell on his back as the greenette nuzzled him. "I'm so happy you're ok Zelgadis! You had me and Michiru worried sick! You were so mean to Eri-chan but you did the right thing in the end! You big dummy!" she exclaimed.

Zelgadis lay there, completely at a loss for words at his friend's complete change in personality. Michiru, too, sat by unmoving, actually scared that something worse than de-aging had happened to the nanomachine girl. Finally, after Zelgadis appeared to be getting very uncomfortable with the situation, the tanuki girl spoke up, worry clear in her voice "Emmy…you're ok, right?"

Sitting up, the tan girl seemed to look confused at the question "Of course I am? Why wouldn't I be Michiru?"

Finished gathering her tools, the medic got her first good look at the tan girl in ragged cloths and rushed over to say "Young lady, look at all the cuts and bruises you have! Here, let me look at you!"

Emeralda backed off from the chimera, a pout on her face as she replied "No, I'm ok! My…my quirk lets me heal quickly, I'll be fine! Promise miss!"

The medic wasn't buying it and demanded the amber-eyed girl let her examine her. Emeralda stood up, stuck out her tongue and turned to run. The medic, now furious, gave chase, leaving the other two lighters to themselves, utterly unsure how to process the sudden change in their friend.

As Michiru and Zelgadis watched the medic try to capture Emeralda, who seemed to retain much of her speed despite her shorter legs, Zelgadis finally broke the silence when he said "Thank you…for before." When Michiru turned and offered a confused look, he continued, "When I was at my lowest. When I was sure I could do anything I had to get my body back, you never gave up on me. You believed in me. That means a lot. It's been hard for me to open up to anyone over the years, even my closest traveling companions back home."

Michiru offered the rock-encrusted swordsmen a soft smile before bumping his shoulder lightly with her fist as she said "Hey, that's what friends are for, right? I know you've had it hard and I know how important it is for you to be human again. I'm sorry when Eri healed you that she didn't change you back. I…was kind of hopping that would happen!"

Zelgadis chuckled "I'd rather be like this and alive than human and dead. You know, you're the first person to tell me there was nothing wrong with being like this and it not be a joke or come off as patronizing. I guess…having it come from someone else that had a change forced on them, it meant more, you know?"

Standing up, turning and offering her hand, Michiru said "I only said it because it's true. But then, it's only what I think. It's your body and if you want to be human again, I'll do all I can to help. You know, beyond trying to get home and everything!"

An odd smile played across Zelgadis' face, as though something had just occurred to him that was quite pleasant as he took Michiru's hand. What that thought was, he did not share and Michiru didn't seem to pick up on it, remaining silent before Zelgadis said "I'll take you up on that offer, if the situation presents itself. For now, I think maybe I need to take a step back and take it easy for a bit. Given I'll likely be punished for my actions, I don't think that will be hard."

"I don't mean to interrupt." came a familiar feminine voice. Zelgadis and Michiru turned to face the source and saw Terra was up on her feet again as well and had come to see them over the objections of the medics attending her.

Seeing she had her fellow lighter's attention, Terra continued "Zelgadis, you were so very foolish today, I can't tell you how disappointed I am in what I saw out there on the battlefield." When Zelgadis' face crunched up and he looked away in remorse, Terra added "But! But…I'm told if it wasn't for you, I'd be dead right now. More than that, Sir Nighteye told me you were dying until a few minutes ago because of what you did. You truly are foolish but much more than that…you're a hero."

When Terra said those last words it was like Zelgadis had been impaled all over again. Suddenly all those memories of fighting bandits and delivering supplies to orphans, all with his now long dead friends rushed into him. That drive to make the world a better place that led him to want the power he felt he needed washed over him like he was experiencing it anew all over again. For the first time in a very long time, Zelgadis felt like maybe he could be a hero. Not just a professional hero as this world saw them but the kind he imagined himself being when he was younger and far more innocent. One that fought to defend the weak and help those who couldn't defend themselves.

Before he even realized it, tears began flowing from his eyes as a wide smile spread across Zelgadis' face. Michiru watched on memorized by the sight. Zelgadis looked as though the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders such was his smile. With that look of contentment, Zelgadis went from looking at Terra to starring up at the sky, still clouded by the dust and debris kicked up from their battle.

Still focused on the sky, the chimera spoke, his voice choked with emotion he was only barely containing "Thank you…truly. I've searched a long time for something I thought I wanted and here, so far from home I found something else I forgot I had even lost. Terra, Michiru, Emeralda, even Jun and Hitomi too…thank you for saving me."

(X)

Once everyone, Emeralda included, was seen to by medical staff, everyone who didn't need further care was released to go home, with the promise of a debrief for later. Mirio had been healed much as Zelgadis had but after that, Eri had begun to feel exhausted, both mentally and physically. The poor girl was taken under guard to a hospital for what was likely her first proper check up since her quirk first manifested.

Mirio insisted on staying with her and even though Izuku wanted to be there too, both Mirai and his fellow intern felt he had done more than enough today and should rest.

Zelgadis would face punishment for his actions during the mission, that much was made clear by Celty and Mirai both. That, however, was for another day. Now the lighters could head back to UA knowing they had saved a little girl and wiped out a group plotting the undermining of the very fountain of society on the back of one innocent child.

Yet that victory was bittersweet. Xellos was still at large, his threat to remove the lighters only way home looming heavily over the four who had been apart of the raid. Now all of them knew just how much more powerful the purpled-haired mazuku truly was. Beyond that, one lighter was left with a very disturbing offer that, for now, she couldn't even bare to speak to the others about. Worst of all? Now they had no idea where Xellos even was, which meant that from here on out, it was a race to see who could find the so-called Nomu that had brought them all here in the first place.

(X)

Kai lay on a stretcher, securely strapped down to restrict his movements as he was carried in an ambulance to a hospital. His vehicle was under escort and he himself was under guard by a hero. He was sure he would be sent to Tartarus, home to all the worst villains society had to offer. If he played his cards right and bide his time, Kai was sure he could rebuild what he had lost and seek revenge on the children that had brought him so low.

Such thoughts were interrupted, however, when the sound of an explosion could be heard outside. The hero with him began to look very concerned and called out to the driver to get answers. The EMT's panicked response confirmed that they were under attack. Kai began to wonder if some of his men had escaped and had staged a rescue. Those thoughts continued when the ambulance was knocked off balance and tipped on its side, as it slid to a stop against a guard rail.

The hero was bruised but otherwise unharmed from the crash and ready for the fight he was sure was coming. Kai silently looked forward to this fool's death at his men's hands while he now rested awkwardly now that the stretcher he was on had been thrown about from the crash. Kai's confidence completely shattered, however, when the door to the emergency vehicle was ripped open and instead of Mimic or Chronostatis, it was the immature hand wearing leader of the League of Villains himself, Tomura Shigaraki and…that traitorous bastard Xellos!

Tomura made short work of the hero, turning him to dust with little effort. With no one else to overhear him, Kai finally spoke "What the hell are you doing here? Do you really think I'll work with a child and a traitor? I'm better off in prison!"

Tomura chuckled behind the dismembered hand on his face "Seems he already has you figured out, Xellos!"

"It would seem he does, Shigaraki-sama!" Xellos cheerfully agreed as the two men came to stand over the fallen yakuza leader.

"And just what is that supposed to mean? Don't tell me you did all this just to gloat." Kai spat.

"No no, you misunderstand, master." Xellos answered, making sure to emphasize that last word. "You have something we want and intend to take."

Kai narrowed his eyes, now genuinely unsure as to what they were getting at. "What else could you possibly take from me?"

"We want your ticket." Tomura answered, a hint of sadistic menace in his voice.

"What?" was all Kai could think to say.

"To Tartarus is what Shigaraki-sama means, master." Xellos replied, a grin spreading across his own face.

Confusion spread across Kai's features which quickly turned to fear as Tomura reached out his hand. "Its simple, really. You're going to pay for killing Magne and Xellos here is going to take your place." The leader of the League of Villains answered.

At that, Xellos' appearance changed to match Kai's own and the yakuza's eyes widened in shock. In fact, he completely missed when Tomura grabbed his arm. Instantly, that arm began to lose color and harden before crumbling. "NO! Wait! I, I can be of help to you! What about the bullets? They'd be a potent tool in your plans!"

"Nope! Sorry, you had your chance." Tomura taunted. "What? You don't like my plan? I thought you wanted to see me have a plan, hmm Overhaul? Time to pay the piper!"

Kai wanted to protest more, to beg, plea, anything to save his own life. It was, however, too late. His body was already far beyond saving as more and more of his being crumbled away and he found himself unable to speak. His last thoughts turned to hate and rage at the utter unfairness of it all, that for all the good he was trying to do for the world that these two assholes would be the ones to take it all from him.

Xellos and Tomura watched as those hate filled eyes succumb to the decay as well, before falling to nothing.

"Well, it seems I'll be in a cell again. Wish me luck!" Xellos said as he slid himself into the spot his former master had just occupied.

"Talk is cheap, Xellos. You promised me my master back. Deliver and whatever Nomu you want is yours. Just get the job done." Tomura answered.

"You need not worry, Shigaraki-sama. For my master, I never fail."

(X)

I always have it in my head when I go to write fight scenes that they will be shorter than they end up being. I hadn't planned to speed, what, four chapters on the raid itself but what can you do? I had also planned for this chapter to be longer, with time spent with the aftermath setting up where we are going from her. A combination of life, as usual and writers block slowed my pace. That being said, I think this is a pretty good place to leave things for the month. This also marks this story crossing over 300k in length. I'm sure a more talented and/or experienced writer would do as much in half the time but I do my best and I hope that's good enough for you all. On the plus side, I'll finally be done with Zelda this month so I'll have one else distraction to writing.

All that being said, as always, take care out there, thank you for taking time to read this little story and I hope to see you next month!