Overhaul: "I watched you fight against someone. You turn scary... The bone mask on your face, the bone scythe mixed with blue flames..."
He pauses, swallowing hard.
Overhaul: "You scythed that person's head off like it was nothing."
Dabi looks down at himself, confusion etched on his face. He doesn't remember the fight, his mind blank where there should be memories.
Dabi: "And you murdered someone by using that black liquid, Overhaul. I saw the replay of your match. When you vomited that liquid, it turned into spikes and killed someone instantly."
Overhaul's face pales, his eyes widening in shock and horror. Tears immediately well up in his eyes as he breaks down, sliding to the ground and burying his face in his stumps.
Overhaul: "No... No, no, no..."
Dabi hesitates for a moment, then wraps his arms around Overhaul's trembling form. He rest his chin on top of Overhaul's head, his voice soft and soothing.
Dabi: "Hey... Hey, it's okay. You didn't mean to... You didn't know that would happen."
Overhaul clings to Dabi, sobs wracking his body as he struggles to process the fact that he's killed someone.
Overhaul: "I... I didn't mean to... I swear... I didn't..."
Shigaraki steps forward, his voice rough and low. He's covered in blood from his previous match. Dabi and Overhaul both look up at him.
Shigaraki: "..."
He smirks, his eyes lingering on the tears streaming down Overhaul's face.
Shigaraki: "You two have seen better days."
He chuckles darkly, crossing his arms over his chest.
Overhaul looks up at Shigaraki, his voice breaking as memories flood back.
Overhaul: "I know you... You're that person I tried to protect during the prison break."
He takes a shuddering breath.
Overhaul: "I was raped instead of you..."
Shigaraki's expression softens slightly, gratitude flashing in his eyes despite the blood and violence coating his appearance.
Shigaraki: "I remember that."
His voice is softer than before.
Shigaraki: "You took that beating for me... I owe you my life."
Overhaul: "Why didn't you escape? I was distracting them so you could run..."
His voice cracks with emotion as he asks.
Shigaraki's expression turns complex, a mix of guilt and gratitude crossing his face. He takes a deep breath before responding softly.
Shigaraki: "Because... Because I couldn't leave you behind."
He pauses briefly before continuing.
Shigaraki: "Seeing you get hurt like that... It wasn't right."
His voice grows firmer.
Shigaraki: "I couldn't just..."
He trails off, swallowing hard.
Dabi speaks up, his voice cold and matter-of-fact.
Dabi: "Maybe he was too injured since both of you were raped by All Might."
He shrugs nonchalantly.
Dabi: "And like it matters now. We're stuck in this prison."
Shigaraki's face darkens at the remainder of their shared trauma under All Might's hands. Overhaul looks down, tears still wet on his cheeks. Shigaraki nods grimly at Dabi's words.
Shigaraki: "Yeah... Doesn't change anything now."
Dabi: "I was raped by him too."
His voice is flat and detached as he speaks. He shrugs casually, but there's an underlying current of pain beneath his words.
Dabi: "But there's nothing we could do about it then... No one cared about a couple of future villains getting assaulted by a hero."
Overhaul and Shigaraki both nod solemnly, understanding the bitter truth behind Dabi's words.
Shigaraki: "Exactly."
He agrees darkly.
Shigaraki: "We were just trash to them."
Dabi changes the subject abruptly, his mind moving on from the painful memories.
Dabi: "Enough talk about that shit. What's the lineup for this fucking tournament?"
He looks between Overhaul and Shigaraki.
Dabi: "I'm assuming it's to wake up the demons inside us. Make us lose control."
Overhaul: "Yeah..."
He mutters.
Overhaul: "That's what it seems like."
Shigaraki speaks up, his voice dripping with disdain.
Shigaraki: "It's that, but it's also the Red Room Tournament. Where prisoners are pitted against each other for the twisted pleasure of the heroes and civilians watching."
He spits out the words with venom.
Shigaraki: "It's fucking common in Hell's Gate Prison. They get off on seeing us tear each other apart."
Overhaul's expression darkens at those words.
Overhaul: "Great... Just fucking great..."
Dabi clenches his fists, determination burning in his eyes.
Dabi: "We can survive this. We just have to keep winning."
Shigaraki nods grimly.
Shigaraki: "The opponents will get harder each round. The Red Room doesn't fuck around with easy matches."
Suddenly, Overhaul feels the familiar sensation of teleportation. When his vision clears, he's standing in the middle of a blood-stained arena, the screams of the crowd echoing in his ears. His opponent materializes across from him - a prisoner who looks utterly insane, eyes wild and body covered in scars from endless torture.
Overhaul: "Fuck..."
He mutters under his breath.
(In his mind).
"They're not messing around with this matchup."
(Out of his mind).
The insane prisoner lets out a bloodcurdling scream and charges at Overhaul.
Overhaul tries desperately to vomit his black liquid, but nothing comes out. His eyes widen in panic as he realizes his primary attack is unavailable. He turns and begins running, trying to evade the insane prisoner. But the prisoner proves to be eerily accurate with his throwing knives. One after another, they fly through the air and embed themselves in Overhaul's back, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Overhaul: "Gah!"
He cries out in pain as he crashes onto the blood-soaked sand.
His mind races with desperation as he lies on the ground, blood pooling beneath him.
(In his mind).
"I don't want to die... I haven't seen my adopted father in so long..."
He thinks to himself, tears welling up in his eyes. As he looks back at the prisoner, he notices the man holding a hammer and nails—the tools of his insane torture methods.
(Out of his mind).
Overhaul: No... please..."
He whispers weakly.
Overhaul: "Not like this."
The prisoner raises the hammer with a manic grin.
Male Prisoner: "Time to play!"
He screams.
(In the waiting room).
Dabi's face contorts with anger and frustration as he watches Overhaul being mercilessly nailed to the ground by the prisoner's hammer and nails. He screams at the TV screen, his voice echoing with desperation and rage.
Dabi: "GET UP! GET THE FUCK UP AND FIGHT BACK!"
Shigaraki stands beside him, his expression grave and intense as he observes the brutal scene unfolding before them.
Shigaraki: "Overhaul..."
He murmurs, his fists clenched tightly by his sides.
(At the battlefield).
Overhaul's screams of agony fill the arena as the prisoner continues to drive nails into his flesh, completely ignoring his pleas for mercy.
Overhaul: "Don't do this... please don't kill me!"
He begs, tears streaming down his face and mingling with the blood that covers him.
Overhaul: "I just want to see my father again..."
His voice is broken and desperate, echoing through the battlefield. Dabi and Shigaraki watch in horror due to the TV screen that's in the waiting room.
Dabi: "GET UP!"
He screams again.
Dabi: "FIGHT BACK!"
He roar of anger seems to snap something inside Overhaul. His golden eyes suddenly turn scarlet red, signifying a dramatic shift the book is awakening. The black liquid that had been absent earlier now erupts from Overhaul's body like a volcanic explosion, engulfing the prisoner whole. The prisoner's screams turn into gurgling noises as he's dissolved by the corrosive liquid.
Overhaul's arms regrow instantly, the bone structure reforming where All Might had severed them with his bone saw. The black liquid recedes slightly as Overhaul pushes himself up from the ground, his scarlet eyes burning with renewed strength and fury thanks to Dabi's roar awakening the book within him completely this time. The prisoner's dissolved remains hit the ground with a sickening splat.
Anastasia's sweet voice echoes in the arena, her snap of the fingers teleporting Overhaul back to the waiting area and replacing him with Dabi.
Anastasia: "Good boy, Overhaul."
She praises softly, her eyes fixed on Dabi now.
Anastasia: "Your turn, pretty boy."
Dabi lands on the sand, his fiery gaze scanning the crowd before settling on Anastasia.
Anastasia's eyes gleam with amusement and calculation as she observes Dabi, her lips curling into a smirk.
Anastasia: "It seems you're proving more useful than I initially thought you would be."
She pauses, allowing her words to sink in before snapping her fingers once more.
Dabi's frown deepens at Anastasia's condescending tone.
Dabi: "What's that supposed to mean?"
He growls with annoyance
Dabi: "Am I just some tool for you now?"
Anastasia: "The demon Random has had quite the influence on the book."
She explains coolly, her eyes never leaving Dabi's fiery gaze.
Anastasia: "Your roar, in particular, seems to have awakened the book's power within Overhaul. Quite useful indeed."
She leans back on her throne, steepling her fingers under her chin.
Anastasia: "It seems your temper has its advantages."
Dabi: "..."
His eyes blaze with defiance and rage as he activates his blue flames, the intense heat radiating off his body.
Dabi: "I don't want you to have your way."
He snarls at Anastasia, his voice echoing through the arena.
Dabi: I'm going to find a way to kill you! Your little games. I'm done with them."
Anastasia merely laughs at Dabi's remarks.
Anastasia: "..."
Her laughter fades into a dangerous whisper as she snaps her fingers once more, teleporting Dabi's next opponent into the arena. A hulking brute with metal plates implanted into his skin appears, his eyes glowing with madness and bloodlust.
Anastasia: "I like to see you try."
She repeats, her gaze shifting between Dabi and the new fighter.
Anastasia: "Perhaps this one will be more challenging for you."
The brute lets out a bestial roar, charging at Dabi with terrifying speed.
Dabi: "..."
He doesn't hesitate. As the brute charges, he unleashes a torrent of blue flames, the intense heat scorching the air and melting the metal plates on the opponent's skin. The brute howls in pain but presses on, his insane strength allowing him to weather the flames temporarily.
Dabi: "Like I said before, I will find a way to kill you."
He roars, his eyes locked onto Anastasia.
Dabi: "And that masked fuck too!"
This will continue in the next chapter.