"NEMESIS"
Mirio's urgent call pierced through the chaos as Sakura landed with an impactful thud onto one of the concrete pikes. Fortune favored her, and only a few of the razor-sharp ends grazed her body during the descent. Pain, both immediate and impending, surged through her, but she was swift to recover. Every fiber of her being urged her to move, to defy the encroaching lethargy.
Yet, as Sakura attempted to rise, the world seemed to resist her efforts. It was as if time itself conspired against her, the pain arriving quicker than her sluggish movements. Each attempt to push herself forward felt like wading through a viscous substance, the battlefield becoming an oppressive quicksand pulling her deeper.
Kai, seizing the opportunity presented by Chronostasis's temporal manipulation, concocted a sinister strategy. "Nemesis, it seems even you've forgotten your place in the fold. Trying to play hero, let's put an end to that. Truthfully, I'm still very angry at you. At your actions against me, and Shie Hassaikai, and at your ignorance for being unable to see the bigger picture."
The words from Kai's mouth dripped with malice, and promise of what was the come. Sakura, despite her dire situation, retained a defiant glint in her eyes. Despite the way she now lagged like a wounded animal, her eyes remained defiant as they met Kai's. As the memories of Eri, her tear-filled eyes, her scarred-up body, and the smile Sakura had to work so hard to restore to that young girl who had been ensnared in Kai's machinations, fueled her determination.
"I do not care about your so-called bigger picture. If you actually believe that using Eri, like that will bring you any sense of justification you are completely insane! No one has the right to use another human like that!"
"You are too small-minded Nemnesis,"
Kai pulled from his pocket, a red case that held inside the final and perfected product he had sought after for so long. The quirk canceling bullets. Meticulously crafted to permanently erase a person's quirk, leaving an indelible mark on their fate. That was his goal for this whole world and now that he could just see the finish line, he wasn't going to surrender it without a fight.
Kai hurled the case to Kurono, orchestrating a sinister symphony of retribution. "This time, you won't get away," he declared, a venomous promise lingering in the air.
However he failed to realize that not everyone was willing to play as his pawns, that included MIrio who had been forgotten in that moment. The young man took the chance to transition into permeation, he melded into the floor, surging through the hallway that had become their battlefield.
But just as he approached, Kai realized his intentions and moved to manipulate the terrain once again. The battleground crumbled, reshaping itself into pillars, lifting both Kai and Kurono high above, beyond the reach of Mirio.
Kai barked orders. "DO IT!"
Kurono aimed his gun, loaded with the quirk-canceling bullets, at the standing Nemesis.
When Mirio realized what happened, he didn't have time to think his next move. All he could do was react. He sank into the ground again, plummeting through, his descent aligned with the trajectory of the speeding bullet.
Sakura, momentarily stunned, looked up to witness Mirio materializing before her, a smile etched on his face, the kind you should have only when there were no worries in the world for you to face. His outstretched arms becoming a shield.
"I know I already said it, but thank you for saving Eri,"
This was nothing to be pleased about, Sakura knew. She heard the gunshot, and with her body already slow she decided to take the hit head-on. Knowing that Kai wanted nothing more than to erase her quirk and leave her powerless. She was willing to let him believe that, to bring him to the pinnacle of hope, elevate him to the highest point, letting him think he had won. And then watch him drop and crash to the ground as she showed that he couldn't take away her power. Not with what he had harnessed from Eri. That his greatest effort would not be enough to bring her to her knees.
But then Mirio emerged before her and took that away. And she never would've thought that her aim for vengeance against Kai would end up creating collateral damage this way.
"You idiot," Sakura retorted. "You shouldn't have done that!" Her admonishment was wrapped in genuine concern. "Why would you do this!?"
Mirio continued to hold his smile, "Because how could I call myself a hero if I couldn't save you right now?"
Kai rose from the ground, a tremor of excitement coursing through him, his wounds forgotten in the ecstasy of Mirio losing his once-untouchable quirk. A child he believed intoxicated by power and a twisted ideology, Kai reveled in the perceived downfall of Mirio.
"Quirks... giving the diseased a chance to dream, letting you believe you can actually become something! Now, all that you've cultivated has been taken away! And it's all thanks to Eri!"
"OVERHAUL!" Sakura glared over at Kai, "You are sick, are you actually trying to blame Eri for this!?"
"She's the one you fools intended to save, she is the reason these bullets exist in the first place. Her power created all of this!"
"No, it was you who abused her power!" Sakura exclaimed. "You're the one causing all of this! Not the child you held captive!"
Once again, the underground labyrinth crumbled and reconstructed itself, sending a torrent of gravel and concrete pikes hurtling toward Mirio and Sakura like a tsunami. Mirio, though injured, swept Sakura into his arms, earning fresh piercings as they evaded the descending spikes.
Mirio felt the earth beneath him shift. He knew his quirk had been severed by the bullets. And yet despite losing his quirk, one of the most defining features of heroes in this society, he didn't feel any of that weight pressed onto him, and still held defiance for who he was and what he intended to become.
"I'm still Lemillion!" Mirio proclaimed.
If Sakura hadn't been engulfed in rage before, she certainly was now. Gathering her strength, she shifted out of Mirio's arms, pushing him away from her.
"Nemesis what are you-
"I'll take it from here, Lemillion,"
She then began to move, her feet pounded against the ground in a less graceful manner than she usually moved, as she rushed forward, jumping across the pikes and shattered ground at a comparible speed that shouldn't have been possible. Kurono, grew especially uneasy when seeing this, now unsure whether he had struck her with the hour hand or the minute hand. Either way, it seemed as if his quirk had worn off. It was that or he was watching someone defy the laws of his quirks physics.
Kai's hands trembled at his side, as he watched 'Nemesis' reach Kurono, delivering a punch that shattered his mask and sent him hurling through Kai's path.
"Impossible! Kurono's quirk should still be in effect!" Kai exclaimed, breaking the ground apart and aiming it at Sakura. Unfazed, she punched the ground with a force that shattered everything, even the walls around them. Kai hastily reinforced the barriers before they could collapse upon him.
"Who the hell are you!?"
"I'm your executioner, Overhaul!"
"You wretched-
Still unwilling to surrender, Kai unleashed the chaotic rearrangement of the ground, aiming to impede Sakura's advance. It looked like she was dancing through the falling debris, her movements agile and precise to avoid all intended injury.
And how was she doing this?
Sakura had pored a large amount of chakra, and channeled it throughout her entire body, making it agile and light for her to control against the odds of Kurono's quirk. It was more than what she was accustomed to using, but it had worked well, giving her back her mobility.
With each calculated step, Sakura dodged the descending pikes, determined to bring the curtain down on this show once and for all.
"You think you'll be able to get away!?" Kai's voice echoed against everything.
The walls of debris that had once been Kai's shield now seemed fragile against the force that was Sakura. She launched herself along the pikes, kicking through the rocks and shattering everything that stood in her way. Displaying her power and clashing resolves with Kai.
The closer Sakura drew towards Kai, the quicker the pikes sought her body, a voracious attempt to ensnare her form. Yet, Sakura remained undeterred. Being slowed down by the encroaching debris became a reason for her not to overthink and to just force through it all.
Kai ended up momentarily blinded by his own tempest of destruction he had caused, and when he finally found his vision, he was in time to witness Sakura breaking through his makeshift fortress. He barely registered the first hit.
The force of her assault sent Kai hurtling through the air, landing unceremoniously beside his henchman, Kurono.
Kai, panting and glaring upward, found his skin crawling with a sensation akin to repulsion as if Sakura's mere presence was anathema.
'How... how can he be this powerful!?' Kurono's quirk, the hour hand's touch that had slowed her movements, should have been an insurmountable advantage. Yet, here was Nemesis, a force that defied the very logic of quirks.
'Speed and power like this... it's so rare even amongst quirk users,' Kai ruminated, a begrudging acknowledgment of Nemesis's formidable prowess.
The frustration in Kai's mind transformed into determination. If Nemesis were allowed to leave here alive, he would remain an enduring thorn in his side. Kai knew that to neutralize Nemesis was to dispel the looming shadow that threatened to eclipse his ambitions.
"Overhaul. I think it's time I made you realize that I'm not playing hero," Sakura declared with an edge in her voice. Her gaze shifted away from the momentarily incapacitated Kai, seeking out Mirio amid the chaotic aftermath of their clash.
"Lemillion, I'm going to give you an opening. I want you to escape through it."
Mirio, panting and undoubtedly battered, hesitated in his response. "Nemesis, I..."
"You can't fight with those injuries, and without your quirk, you won't be able to defend yourself against him." Sakura's words were laden with concern. The slowing effect of Kurono's quirk still lingered, a stifling weight that demanded a toll on her stamina. She knew she couldn't protect Mirio and fend off Kai simultaneously, not under these circumstances. Kai was not above underhanded tactics like using another person against his opponent.
One touch and it's over.'
In the tense interlude, the walls behind them shattered, revealing Izuku emerging with Nighteye and Shouta in tow.
"We finally caught up!" Izuku exclaimed.
Thanks to the tracking device they were able to follow Nemesis to this location, after handling the rest of Kai's men. However Shouta could discern they had come at a critical moment, where Overhaul seemed to be teetering on the bring of defeat. And there was no loss on their side, Shouta noted that while Mirio seemed to in a state, he was still breathing which was in his opinion the best outcome. But he still felt like something was amiss.
"Aizawa, you actually showed up,"
"We've had some delays,"
After they were separated by the fractured labyrinth, the heroes found themselves ambushed by the remnants of the League of Villains, Twice and Himiko Toga. The skirmish was brief but intense, resulting in Rocklock being injured. The situation became more precarious as Shouta confronted the reality that the League of Villains was entangled with the yakuza group. His promise to withdraw his students from the mission if such an association was revealed hung in the air, yet they had been carried too far now to turn back.
However bright side of this was that there was a quick pull of betrayal by the league and the mastermind behind the labyrinths manipulation was finally caught and incapacitated. They also tried to go after the League of Villains members but they had proven to be masters of escape under chaotic conditions.
"You heroes are in the way!" Kai exclaimed. He decided that enough was enough, he was going to dismantle everything in his way, and finally clear his path, no matter what it took.
However, a revelation struck him as he attempted to break everything apart again only to discover that when he touched the ground, nothing occurred. He looked over to the quirk-nullifying hero Eraserhead.
"WAKE UP ALREADY, CHRONO!" Kai bellowed
Shouta sensed danger, a gut feeling that spurred him into action. In mid-air, he intercepted Izuku, pushing him out of harm's way just as Kurono's arrow found its mark.
"I intended to skewer the two of you in one swoop, but you heroes are just too good."
When Nemesis had thrown Kurono at Kai, he seized the opportunity to mend his injuries, reviving his comrade. Though it had taken him a while to awaken.
Yet again Kai, tore through the surroundings, breaking apart everything in his path with a relentless fury. His desperation and rage reached a crescendo, propelling him into a state where the end justified any means. Izuku found himself caught in the crossfire, a casualty of the unfolding chaos. Meanwhile, Nighteye and Mirio, better accustomed to these types of situations were able to maneuver themselves quickly out of the away.
But this was far from the final strike Kai intended to inflict. His previous attacks were meant to bring down his opponents, this was merely acting as a distraction, to give him time to make his next move.
Nemoto, his underling, was hurled through the air like a rag-doll in the hands of his leader. Kai's grasp was unyielding, and as if enacting a horrifying dance, he shattered both his own form and that of Nemoto.
Bones crunched, blood splattered and the air reverberated with the sickening sound of disassembly and reassembly. The two figures seemed to fall apart, only to seamlessly coalesce into a new, nightmarish image.
Kai felt his stamina and power returning to what it was. his resurgence was both awe-inspiring and ghastly.
"This is going to end now, heroes!" Kai declared, his voice echoing in the chamber. All eyes turned toward the grotesque result of his grim transformation.
Sakura, undeterred by the horrific figure before her, straightened her stance. The amalgamation of Kai and Nemoto, a creation akin to a creature from a horror novel, now stood before them. His once-human form had melded with that of his henchman, arms extending like pieces of flexible rock, and two additional limbs sprouting from his back.
"Disgusting, but I feel much better," Kai seethed, his abhorrence for physical contact evident in the tone of his voice. A malicious gaze shifted toward Mirio. "If you hadn't gotten involved, you would not have lost that quirk of yours, Lemillion,"
The revelation of perfected quirk-nullifying bullets drew collective concern. Again, Kai pointed his accusing finger, this time at Sakura. "Nemesis, you are just as guilty. Had you not interfered with Eri, then this could've been prevented,"
Sakura's response was a low growl, her shoulders trembling and she started laughing. It was the first time her voice had betrayed a hint of carelessness. Izuku, noticed the un-gruff timbre in her laughter.
"If I hadn't gotten involved..." Sakura sighed. "You know what, Overhaul? Your problem is that you think you're something special. That your way of thinking will amount to anything. But I'll give you a reality check, and I'll show you just how irrelevant you are."
Izuku, sensing an opening, moved to attack. Using a piece of rock as a makeshift shield, he faced Kai. The rock shattered, but Izuku, quick on his feet, defended with the steel soles of his shoes. Unlike Sakura, he couldn't predict Kai's movements and the battle intensified quickly.
Sakura surged forward, pumping chakra to her legs once more. Her lithe form darted through the shifting rubble. Kai didn't waste time to move in for a counter, as he extended his elongated limbs to the ground, now able to do so without crouching forward. The ground shook and the labyrinth of debris attempted to skewer her, reconstructing itself into pikes, but she charged through. With chakra-infused strength, she reached Kai, her fist colliding with his defenses. His four arms, meant to shield him, cracked under the pressure, and he was sent flying. Yet, Overhaul remained resilient against this assault, utilizing his quirk, broke apart and reconstructed himself, recovering.
'This form definitely made him stronger,' Sakura thought, watching Kai pull himself back up. 'But next time, he won't be given the chance to recover,'
"Kurono's quirk is still in effect. Nemesis, I admit you are strong," Kai taunted, arrogance tainting his voice. "You could've had a bright future with the Hassaikai, but you chose to squander it. Now I see you're also weak. You can't see the bigger picture beyond a crying child or some crippled heroes,"
She glanced over to Nighteye and Mirio. It didn't look like the hero was intending to step over her at least. But she could see he was giving her a look, showing he wanted her to either finish this or tap out. Shouta wasn't anywhere to be seen right now either and they had to find him as well. So Sakura knew she couldn't afford to drag this out any longer.
"LOOK OUT!"
The ground, responding to Kai's command, fell apart and rearranged itself into pikes, which Sakura was more than ready to counter. However they didn't come to target her alone, instead they surged towards the trio: Izuku, Mirio, and Nighteye. They came with unforgiving speed and the wrath of vengeful spirit, and while Izuku managed to avoid major injuries, he was not unscathed. Shallow and deep blows marked his body.
Nighteye, relying on his quirk and reflexes, countered Kai's unpredictable movements. But what he saw through his all-seeing eyes spurred him into immediate action. Legs scraping across the pikes, he leaped forward, pushing Mirio out of harm's way.
Mirio's eyes widened in shock as the ghastly scene unfolded before him. Drops of crimson painted his face as Nighteye, his mentor and teacher, stood over him. The severity of Nighteye's injuries became agonizingly clear as his eyes travelled to a pike that had impaled the left side of his torso and chest, while another had amputated his arm.
The horrified cries escaped both Izuku and Mirio as they witnessed the dire consequences of Kai's brutal assault.
"SIR NIGHTEYE!"
"SENSEI!"