chapter 56 Overhaul's Resolve

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"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. His voice, dripping with disdain and vengeance, sliced through the air, "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 hung in the air, charged with malice. Sakura, despite her dire situation, retained a defiant glint in her eyes. The pain of the wound Kai managed to inflict and the lag in her movements were a testament to her current vulnerability, but Saukra refused to yield to Kai. As 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. 

Determination etched across his face, 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 charged air.

Mirio, however, refused to be a pawn in Kai's designs. With a swift transition into permeation, he melded into the floor, surging through the labyrinth. As he approached, Kai, ever the tactician, manipulated the terrain anew. The battleground crumbled, reshaping itself into pillars, lifting both Kai and Kurono high above, beyond the reach of Mirio's subterranean refuge.

In a synchronized choreography of malevolence, Kai barked orders. "DO IT!" The atmosphere crackled with anticipation as Kurono aimed his gun, loaded with the quirk-canceling bullets, at the standing Nemesis.

Mirio, suspended in the air, realized what was about to happen. With an unyielding resolve, he sank into the solid ground, plummeting through it with impeccable timing. His descent aligned with the trajectory of the speeding bullet.

Sakura, momentarily stunned, looked up to witness Mirio materializing before her, a radiant smile etched on his face. His outstretched arms became 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 as she showed that he couldn't take away her power. Not with what he had harnessed so disturbingly 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 hurting Mirio 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 man 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's exclamation punctuated the charged air. 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. 

The labyrinth crumbled and reconstructed itself, sending a torrent of gravel and concrete pikes hurtling toward Mirio and Sakura like a vengeful tsunami. Mirio, though injured, swept Sakura into his arms, swift in his protective instincts, earning fresh piercings as they evaded the descending spikes.

Mirio, a paragon of resilience, felt the earth beneath him shift. He knew his quirk had been severed by the merciless bullets. Despite the looming vulnerability, a defiant declaration echoed.

"I'm still Lemillion!" Mirio proclaimed.

If Sakura hadn't been engulfed in rage before, she certainly was now. She shifted out of Mirio's arms, pushing him away from her. 

"Nemesis what are you-

"I'll take it from here, Lemillion,"

Then she began to move, her feet pounding against the ground as she rushed forward, jumping across the pikes and shattered ground. Kurono, grew uneasy, unsure whether the hour hand or the minute hand had struck Sakura. Sakura, embodying a force that defied the laws of Kai's understanding, addressed the question of her identity with a resounding punch. Kurono's mask shattered, hurtling him into Kai's path, and disrupting their composure.

"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?" Kai demanded. 

"I'm your executioner, Overhaul!" Sakura declared, a relentless force against Kai's malevolent machinations.

"You wretched- 

Undeterred, Kai unleashed the chaotic rearrangement of the ground, aiming to impede Sakura's advance. She danced through the falling debris, her movements, a symphony of agility and precision, painted an otherworldly scene amid the ruins orchestrated by Kai's malevolent quirk.

The chakra she poured in and through her body was more than what she was accustomed to using but the theory had worked out well enough, granting her the mobility she had lost due to the the quirk. The labyrinth quaked, a battlefield where determination clashed with the remnants of a shattered ideology.

With each calculated step, Sakura dodged the descending pikes with a grace that seemed to defy the very concept of impediment. Her every motion was a testament to her mastery over chaos, a dance with danger where every pirouette and leap dodged the sharpened spears of concrete, unfazed and resolute.

"You think you'll be able to get away!?" Kai's voice echoed.

The walls of debris, once Kai's impromptu shield, stood as fragile sentinels against the tempest that was Sakura. She launched herself along the pikes, kicking through the rocks, she shattered them. It was a display of power that resonated with the echoes of an unstoppable force.

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, to move with the unbridled fluidity of a river.

Kai, momentarily blinded by the very tempest he had conjured, found his vision clearing just in time to witness Sakura breaking through his makeshift fortress. 

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!?' Kai's thoughts resonated with frustration. 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, an enduring thorn in Kai's side, he would obscure the mission, an obstacle. With grim resolve, Kai knew that to neutralize Nemesis was to dispel the looming shadow that threatened to eclipse his ambitions. 

"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.

Turning to Mirio, she spoke with a solemn urgency, "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. 

The threat loomed overhead—'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.

Shouta, the rational observer, cast his discerning gaze over the scene. The confrontation had taken its toll, and Overhaul seemed to be teetering on the brink of defeat. However, Shouta's eyes caught something amiss about Mirio. And of course 'Nemesis' seemed well and fine. They were able to track them quickly by following the signal from Sakura's device. 

The air hummed with anticipation.

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 labyrinth was finally caught and incapacitated. They sought to go after the members but they managed to escape through the chaos caused. 

Which had allowed them to make their way here. 

Kai prepared to dismantle everything in his path. "You heroes are in the way!" he declared, a venomous edge to his voice.

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. The pulsating energy of his quirk was rendered impotent in the wake of Shouta's ability.

"WAKE UP ALREADY, CHRONO!" Kai bellowed.

On instinct, 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. The villain's voice sliced through the tension, "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. In this maelstrom, 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 loyal underling, was hurled through the air like a ragdoll 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 like a twisted canvas, and the air reverberated with the sickening symphony of disassembly and reassembly. In a macabre display, the two figures seemed to fall apart, only to seamlessly coalesce into a new, nightmarish image. The visceral act played out, and the stage was set for the emergence of a monstrous entity.

Kai felt his stamina and power returning to what it was. his resurgence was both awe-inspiring and ghastly. The price for his rejuvenation unfolded in a grotesque ballet of brutality.

"This is going to end now, heroes!" Kai declared, his voice echoing in the chamber, laced with the bitterness of thwarted plans. 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. Laughter, unexpected and revealing, permeated the air. It was the first time her voice had betrayed a hint of carelessness. Izuku, attuned to the nuances of Nemesis, noticed the un-gruff timbre in her laughter.

"If I hadn't gotten involved..." Sakura sighed, a weighty determination in her eyes. "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.

Sakura surged forward, pumping chakra to her legs once more. Her lithe form darted through the shifting rubble with the precision of a shadow. 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 structured 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, the resilient Overhaul, utilizing his quirk, broke apart and reconstructed himself, recovering from the devastating assault.

'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 with lethal precision. Pikes, like vengeful spirits, that Sakura was more than ready to exercise once and for all. 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 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— a pike had impaled the left side of his torso and chest, while another had ruthlessly 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!"

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SNEAK PEEK: Chapter 57

"What are you going to do?" 

"Finish this."

In the backdrop of this dire moment, Kai refused to grant them even a semblance of respite. The exits sealed, and their chances of evacuating Nighteye dwindled. 

"You think it'll be that easy? I'm going to put an end to you all and your small-minded sense of justice!" Kai's words echoed through the tense atmosphere. "None of you know the value of Eri's power. Quirks progress markedly when you develop them. Through countless experiments, I extracted Eri's power and succeeded in bringing it to its endpoint."

Sakura's fists clenched, her whole being a tempest of fury. The bloodlust emanating from her threatened to suffocate those around her. Kai took a step back, feeling the weight of her rage like a vice tightening around his neck.

"THAT GIRL IS A PERSON! DOES THAT MEAN NOTHING TO YOU!?"

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-SPECIAL HALLOWEEN CHAPTER: Shinigami amongst Shinobi

-Kunoichi amongst Heroes chapter 57, 58, 59

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