Overhaul: "Eri... I'm coming for you..."
He muttered to himself, his obsession growing stronger by the minute. He couldn't get the thought of her out of his head.
Random immediately attempted to slow down Overhaul independently by creating an alternate reality to ensnare him. However, the power of the book quickly nullified the new world's existence, rendering Random's efforts futile. Overhaul's obsession only intensified, his thoughts consumed by Eri.
Overhaul: "No one can stop me now."
He said maniacally.
Suddenly, Dabi appeared with his blue flames blazing, attempting to halt Overhaul's obsessive pursuit of Eri. Meanwhile, Random returned breathlessly to Dabi's side, disappointed that his reality manipulation had failed to slow Overhaul down.
Overhaul: "Dabi, stop bugging me!"
He snapped angrily, flickering with frustration.
Overhaul: "You think you're some kind of hero? You can't save Eri. No one can stop me from getting her."
His words were laced with maniacal determination and obsession.
Dabi: "Then what happens when you finally find Eri?"
He asked, his blue flames intertwining with Random's power.
Dabi: "Your obsession won't just disappear. Have you thought about what comes after that?"
He tried to make Overhaul see reason, his voice lower and more serious.
Overhaul: "I'm done talking!"
He shouted, his patience finally snapped. He harnessed the book's power and teleported instantly towards Eri's location.
Dabi's eyes widened in shock at the speed of Overhaul's disappearance, realizing just how dangerous his obsession had made him.
Dabi: "Damn it..."
He muttered, quickly using Random's power to track the residual energy left by Overhaul's energy. He could sense the general direction Overhaul had gone, but the speed at which he had moved made it difficult to pinpoint his exact location.
(In his mind).
Dabi: "Why did you leave my body?"
He asked Random, his voice tinged with frustration. He knew that Random had the power to sense Overhaul's energy, but he didn't also knew that Random had the ability to leave his body at any moment.
Dabi: "I need you here."
He growled.
Random: "I thought I could persuade him to be honest."
Random explained, his voice filled with disappointment.
Random: "But this Overhaul is different from what I've encountered before back when I was human. His obsession has warped his mind in ways I didn't anticipate."
He paused for a moment.
Dabi: "Back when you were human?"
He asked, his curiosity momentarily overriding his frustration. He found it hard to believe that a powerful demon like Random had once been human.
Dabi: "How did you... change?"
He asked carefully, trying to understand the demon's past.
Random: "You could say that the Goat Cult made me this way."
Random replied, his voice laced with ancient resentment. He avoided Dabi's gaze, not wanting to reveal the full extent of his torment at the hands of the cult.
Random: "They experimented on me, twisted my humanity until all that remained was this... this monster."
Dabi: "I assume that you used to look like me. It could explain why that other version of me gave me a part of you. You might be my counterpart from a different world."
(Out of his mind).
Dabi: "So that means the book is Overhaul."
He says this after figuring out what it is.
(Meanwhile at Eri's Location).
In an instant, all the student heroes were brutally murdered by Overhaul. A twisted smile appeared on his face as he walked down the hallway, his eyes gleaming with a sickening satisfaction. The sight of their lifeless bodies seemed to fuel his madness even further.
Overhaul: "Eri."
He muttered her name like a twisted prayer as he searched each classroom and locker room methodically. He knew she would try to hide, knew her survival instincts would kick in. But every empty room only fueled his obsession more intensely.
Overhaul: "Where are you, little mouse?"
Mirio: "Hold it right there, Chisaki."
He spoke calmly, his voice steady despite the gruesome scene before him. He had noticed the lifeless bodies of the student heroes scattered across the floor.
Overhaul: "Oh, it's you, school boy. Ready for round two?"
He taunted, his twisted smile returning. He was itching for a fight, his mind clouded by his obsession and bloodlust. He had struggled to defeated Mirio once before - he wanted to do it again, prove that he was the superior.
Mirio: "I'm not letting you get away this time."
He declared, disappearing underground using his quirk Permeation. He reappeared directly behind Overhaul, launching a powerful kick aimed at bringing him down. Overhaul moved with supernatural speed, easily dodging the attack.
Overhaul decided to use his quirk, forming sharp spikes that shot straight towards Mirio. He knew the hero could easily pass through them, but his true intention was revealed when one of the spikes hit a small, innocent child who was about to visit his big brother at the school.
Mirio's eyes widened in horror as he realized the true intent behind Overhaul's attack. Dodging the spikes would mean putting nearby civilians in danger—innocent people who had nothing to do with their battle. The child's cry of pain echoed through the air, piercing Mirio's heart.
Mirio: "Chisaki, you bastard!"
He yelled, his voice filled with anger and desperation. Overhaul stood there, seemingly unaffected by Mirio's outrage, a maniacal grin spreading across his face. He knew he had found Mirio's weakness - his unwillingness to risk innocent lives.
Overhaul: "Tell me where Eri is."
He demanded, his voice laced with twisted amusement and power.
Overhaul: "And I promise to... stop killing these innocent little brats,"
He said, gesturing carelessly towards the terrified children cowering nearby. His smile was wide and manic, reveling in Mirio's dilemma.
Mirio: "..."
(In his mind).
"I have to save those kids."
He thought desperately, realizing Overhaul was using them as human shields.
"If I give in, he'll have exactly what he wants - Eri delivered right to him."
His heart raced as he calculated his options, knowing each decision could cost innocent lives.
(Out of his mind).
He immediately sprinted towards the frightened children, his heart pounding with determination. However, his steps suddenly halted mid-stride.
Overhaul's voice echoed through the air, cold and commanding.
Overhaul: "Ah, ah, ah. Don't even think about it."
He said, holding up a hand.
Mirio's eyes widened in horror as he saw one of the children suddenly being choked by an invisible force. He quickly looked back at Overhaul, who was standing there with a twisted smile on his face, dark red energy emanating from his hand. The child struggled desperately for air.
Overhaul: "See?"
Mirio: "Stop this!"
He yelled, his voice cracking with emotion. Tears of frustration and fear streamed down his face as he watched the child turn blue, fighting for every breath.
Overhaul chuckled maniacally, tightening his grip on the invisible chokehold around the child's neck.
Overhaul: "Make me."
Izuku: "Detroit Smash!"
Without hesitation, Izuku Midoriya suddenly appeared, his powerful kick connecting squarely with Overhaul's face. The impact was so great that it not only broke the chokehold around the child's neck but also sent Overhaul staggering backward, his twisted smile replaced by a look of shock and pain.
Overhaul's eyes narrowed as he looked up to see a familiar face staring back at him - Izuku Midoriya, the boy he had once faced off against. A mixture of annoyance and grudging respect flickered across his face as he wiped the blood from his broken nose.
Overhaul: "You."
He growled.
Izuku: "This is how far you could go."
He snapped, his eyes blazing with determination and anger. He activated One For All, the power of his predecessors coursing through him as he faced Overhaul. The air crackled with energy, the ground shaking slightly under the immense power Izuku was holding back.
This will continue in the next chapter.