บท 2308: 50
Chapter Text
"Hey."
Izuku flinched upon hearing the voice. Not long after hearing the voice did his idle bugs sense the hand approaching his shoulder.
Izuku promptly turned and grabbed the hand out from the air before it could touch him. He raised his other hand and balled it into a fist, ready to strike at the unforeseen intruder. However, Izuku reeled his fist back as he caught sight of just whose hand he had caught.
"Oh!" Izuku said. He put both his hands down, though he raised another one to cover a nervous cough. "Hi, uh…" Izuku looked at the man's uniform, "Officer Uchiha. It looks like we got separated together?"
The sounds of battle continued on in the background, the rumbling of the walls, ringing of gunshots, and the loud roar of the beast a constant reminder to Izuku that occurring just beyond his reach was a fight he couldn't help with.
"Yeah, looks like it!" said Uchiha. "Wall closed up on me and the next thing I knew, I was trapped in here with you! Quite the coincidence, huh?" Uchiha smiled.
Izuku narrowed his eyes. "Yeah…" He turned his back to Uchiha, and began to feel up the stone wall, attempting to find any weak points. However, Izuku kept a healthy amount of bugs pinned on watching Uchiha.
Izuku leaned his head against a section on the wall and tapped a fist in it. "Hmm… Doesn't sound too thick. But I wouldn't be able to break. We'd need to find a weaker spot if we'd want to break through…"
Movement. Izuku followed through with his earlier actions. He grabbed the incoming hand — this time with a knife in its grasp — before it was able to reach his shoulder.
"Nice try Toga. But if you want to sneak up on me, you're gonna have to fix your demeanor while you're disguised."
"Oh?" The newly revealed Toga said, sounding amused. "What gave me away?" She laughed, her form slowly melting away..
"I'm sure that you already know what." Izuku turned to face the villain, though he quickly averted his gaze upon eyeing Toga's naked figure. "What the heck, Toga!"
She laughed. "What? Don't like what you see?"
Izuku's gaze may have been turned away, but his bugs' eyes were still Toga. He didn't trust her to not try something. Even still, he left that connection somewhat loose, and thus the image of Toga slightly blurry. It was the best he could do without sacrificing his own safety.
"Don't you have some clothes?!?" Izuku asked. "What are you trying to do here?"
"That's not how my quirk works Izuku! I transform with other people's clothes, so I need to take my own off first!"
"Uh huh. Of course you do."
"I promise!" she giggled.
"Why are you even here?" Izuku asked. "The League isn't working for the yakuza, are they?"
"Pfft! Of course not!" She waved him off with her other hand. "We're just…" she lowered her voice to a whisper, "running interference, you could say. That Overhaul guy took Compress' arm and messed up Gerry real good. As you saw just a bit ago." Her head motioned towards the fight that was occuring on the other side of the wall.
"At this point, we're just trying to mess them up from the inside. Heh, you and I are basically on the same side right now, you know?"
A roar rang through the walls, followed by a loud rumble as the ground shook. After that, there was silence.
"Well, looks like time's up," Toga said. "It was nice seeing ya, Izuku! Till next time, yeah?"
Izuku let her wrist slip through his grip; he wasn't exactly keen on fighting a naked Toga. Besides, if she was being entirely truthful about her aims in helping bringing down the Precepts… Izuku was willing to let it happen.
She scampered off, disappearing from view as a wall sprung up between them. That wasn't to say that Izuku had completely lost sight of her though; there was a fly in her hair, and a couple others following her from behind, slowly tailing her from the air.
Izuku turned his attention back at the wall that separated himself from the rest of the group. "Sir Nighteye?!" he yelled. "Can you hear me?"
"Dragonfly!" came Nighteye's voice, somewhat muffled as it came through the wall. "Are you alright?"
"I am!" Izuku responded. "But I'm stuck on the other side of this wall!"
There were a couple seconds of silence before Nighteye spoke again. "Stand back then! I'm going to use one of my weights!"
Izuku did as he was told, and immediately one of Nighteye's weights came crashing through the wall, giving Izuku access to the rest of the group.
"We're all good?" Izuku asked, walking through the newly made hole. Upon his exit, he eyed upon the group. Everybody seemed fine, with only a few scratches and bruises throughout.
"Yeah," one of the officers said. "Turns out that monster thing was just a clone. He was made by the League guy, Twice."
"We took him down, but it took a few more of my weights than I thought it would," Nighteye added.
"Oh," Izuku muttered. "Then how about—"
"You punks! Why won't you die!?!"
"—him."
Suddenly, the walls shook once more. Jagged edges of stone and rubble began to erratically fill the room, moving every which way with no clear target.
"The heck!" Rock Lock yelled. "This is getting outta hand!"
"Crap! We're gonna get crushed!"
"...Insecure guys tend to have short fuses."
Despite the chaos happening around him, Izuku took a moment to hone in on the words. Toga's words. And Twice's if his ears weren't deceiving him.
"Yakuza… So uncool."
"They're… helping?" Izuku muttered to himself. The shift in the walls lessened somewhat, became less dangerous than they were before "No… they're angering Mimic. Making him sloppy..."
"What was that, Dragonfly?" Nighteye asked, turning to Izuku.
"Huh?" Izuku's head shot up. "Oh, uh, nothing Sir. It's just—"
A scream of anger rang out throughout the room, disrupting the shifting walls to a halt. Izuku didn't take the chance for granted.
"Over there!" Izuku yelled, pointed a steady finger at a wall. His bugs had been searching, and they had found their target. "Mimic's right there!"
One of Nighteye's small metallic weights shot out through the air, a small trail of displaced air following in its wake. It collided with the wall and — as with all the other walls before — the weight decimated the cement and rock to rubble.
And thus was revealed Irinaka, the man known as Mimic.
Izuku instantly had his bugs surround the man, stinging and biting even as his screams of anger turned into ones of terror and pain. This went on for a few seconds before somebody spoe up.
"Dragonfly." Izuku felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned to find it belonging to Nighteye, whose expression had stilled. "You…" He shook his head. "Tone it down."
Izuku nodded, letting his hold over the man go. The bugs dispersed and returned to Izuku. What remained up above near the room's ceiling was a white eyed Mimic, cemented in the wall and completely disabled from battle.
A little ways away, Izuku heard the laughs of Twice and Toga as they walked away.
"We'll need to get him down from there, restrain him," Nighteye said. "We don't want a repeat of his actions again."
"I don't think that he's going to wake from that anytime soon," Izuku said.
Nighteye let out a hum. "I'd still like to make sure."
"I'll make my one up to him," Rock Lock said, already gathering pieces of rubble and sticking them in place midair. "You guys go ahead. He's pretty high up; getting to him will take a bit."
"Right," Nighteye nodded. "Dragonfly, let's go."
It took them around a minute or so to reach the hallway with the disabled, higher ranked member of the Precepts.
From there, it wasn't too difficult to follow the sounds of battle that likely led to the ongoing fight between Togata and Overhaul. All that stood in the way between the duo and their goal was a mere stone wall.
All that was needed then was simple, Nighteye having all but needed to use another of his weights to burst through the wall. But he faltered, and stopped himself before he did so.
"Sir?" Izuku questioned. "What's wrong?"
Upon Izuku's question, Nighteye turned and looked at Izuku. Nighteye's eyes narrowed, his face going through a myriad of expressions.
"Uh… Sir?"
Nighteye sighed. "Just… Stay here, Midoriya."
Izuku's eyes widened. "Stay here?! What do you mean?!"
Nighteye ignored Izuku's remarks. The man turned back and launched one of his weights, effectively collapsing the wall. The newly made hole gave Nighteye and Izuku sight of the battlefield, as well as a fight that had frozen up, both sides eyeing the newcomers.
The scene was a rubbled mess, destroyed rock and concrete littering the large room. One one side were the last two high ranking members of the Eight Precepts of Death. Overhaul was unlike Izuku had imagined him to be — black flowing arms sprouted from the villain's back, constantly moving from side to side. To Overhaul's side was Chronostasis, his clock-hand hair out for everybody to see.
However, what truly surprised Izuku was Togata. He was a bit bruised, a couple cuts still bleeding that had most likely come along due to shrapnel and loose rock shooting all over the place. But there was something else about him. It almost seemed as if a golden aura had found itself around Togata, flailing wildly upwards. And his hair seemed longer somehow, moving in tandem to the aura. Eri sat with wide eyes behind him.
"He's finally used it," Nighteye muttered.
"Used what?" Izuku asked. "Why's Togata glowing like that?"
Nighteye looked at Izuku. "You can send your bugs in, but stay here. That's an order." Nighteye didn't waste any time jumping into the room.
The battle continued in earnest, with Togata shouting a cry of relief at the sight of Izuku and Nighteye. Izuku, meanwhile, let out a grunt of frustration.
"Fine." He sent his bugs in, his three remaining clones swarming in and dispersing themselves into a proper swarm. But only because I have no hope in a physical fight with Overhaul as he is now, if the landscape is any clue as to what he's capable of. And I'm no use if I get knocked out. Once it starts getting bad, I'm jumping in.
"What the hell!" Overhaul yelled in obvious disgust. The villain recoiled upon the sight of the swarm of bugs that had flooded through the hole. The reaction brought a smirk to Izuku's face. It was almost enough to quell his frustration.
Already, he set his bugs to work. A good majority of them ran interference with Overhaul, causing him to recoil and back away in disgust. Izuku made sure to keep them away from any of the villain's arms; he didn't want to find himself suddenly without any bugs yet again.
Nighteye engaged Chronostasis. They were mostly at a standstill, each dodging the others' attacks. However, Chronostasis had somewhat of an advantage that took the form of Overhaul taking potshots at Nighteye whenever he had the chance.
A shout caught Izuku's attention. "Midoriya!"
Before Izuku could turn his gaze towards the shout, he found Togata breaking into a sprint — one much faster that should have been physically possible for anybody without a speed quirk — and suddenly appearing before him. In his arms was Eri.
"Oh. You're Mr. Izuku aren't you?" Eri observed.
"Wait," Togata began, "you two know each other? How— Nevermind. Take her." Izuku suddenly found Eri thrust into his arms without any warning.
"I can't keep this up for too long, but I'm still going to go help out Sir!" Togata exclaimed. "Keep it up with the bugs, but make sure Eri stays safe, alright!" And with that, he disappeared in another yellow blur.
Izuku looked at the little girl in his arms. "Hi Eri."
"Hi," she replied back.
Izuku set her down beside him. "Sit tight alright? We should be safe over here."
"Okay."
Satisfied with their mutual understanding, Izuku set his mind back to the task at hand. His bugs did well in distracting Overhaul, giving openings to Togata. Izuku noticed that Togata wasn't using his quirk, however. Never once did he use Permeation to dodge any attacks, though his speed and strength were most definitely increased. Izuku had a pretty good theory as to why.
However, it still wasn't enough. Overhaul was a dirty fighter, messing up the landscape and reforming it to his benefit. Togata had trouble truly getting a good hit in. To make things worse, it looked as if Togata was slowing as time went on.
A rush of movement caught Izuku's eyes. One of Nighteye's weights collided with Chronostasis right in his chest, causing the villain to be sent reeling back right into the hands of Overhaul.
Unfortunately, things only turned for the worse then. There was a splatter of blood and gore, and suddenly Chronostasis and Overhaul were gone. The matter reformed, and their place stood a single being. It's base was Overhaul, quite obviously.
It was the same as before with his two shadowy arms, but this time he now had four. His face had also donned a much more bird-like visage, his mask acting as an extension to a shadowy beak. However, much more prominent was the rest of his body. While before his two regular arms had only been surrounded by black veins, his whole body was now shrouded completely in the black substance.
The ground shook, but unlike before, rock and debris shot out from Overhaul's position. Shrapnel and sharp edged rocks shot into the surrounding area at speeds so fast and distances so far that even Izuku and Eri had to duck behind the wall and away from the mouth of the hole.
It took a good ten seconds for the chaos to stop. When Izuku peered back in, all that was left standing was Togata, who had taken cover behind some rather large outcroppings. Nighteye, on the other hand, was lying face first on the ground. Shrapnel and blood made up the majority of his back.
Izuku flinched, and he suddenly felt Overhaul's gaze on him.
"Eri…" The villain said, his voice rumbling through the air. His eyes narrowed. He laughed. "I'll get you later Eri. You can't escape me, remember that." His hands touched the ground. "I've got a pest to deal with first, however.
The hole suddenly sealed itself up with a wall of stone, causing Izuku and Eri to stumble back.
Izuku sprung back up without wasting a second. His hand smacked against the wall, even though Izuku knew it was a useless endeavor. There wasn't any possible way he was going to break down the wall.
"Shit!"
Izuku took a breath. He looked around using his bugs. Around enough for two clones were left in the room with Togata. He was doing alright, but it was obvious that he couldn't keep up forever. It didn't help that Overhaul refreshed himself every time a major hit connected.
A rumble and a mixture of voices came to his attention. His head shot up. He had more bugs, of course. The ones in his hair, for one. But there were more. And one of them was watching a scene that potentially held the solution to his problem.
The bugs in his hair rose and flew off, flying in the direction of another group of his wayward bugs. Izuku turned his gaze towards Eri.
"Eri, can you stay here? I'm going to go get backup."
Eri blinked. "Are you sure? Can't I just come with you?"
Izuku shook his head. "No. The reinforcements I'm… hopefully going to get, aren't really trustworthy. You'll be safer waiting here."
Eri's lips grew into a thin line. However, she eventually nodded. "Alright. I'll wait."
"Thanks!" Izuku took off in a sprint. "I'll be right back, promise!"
Izuku himself was only halfway to his destination when his bugs had reached his target. Even so, he couldn't waste any time. His twenty or so bugs formed together into a small bundle even as he steadily made his way towards them.
"Toga!" His bugs said. It came out almost like a whisper due to how few of them there were. But it seemed to make just enough noise despite the displacement of ground that was occurring just in front of them.
As is, Toga, Twice, and a one-armed Compress all turned upon hearing the words.
"Izuku!" Toga exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" Her eyes looked around the small swarm. "Or your bugs, at least."
"Toga! / What are you doing?" questioned Twice.
"What? I'm just talking to Izuku!" She turned back to the miniature swarm. "So, what'd you want, hmm?" Her toothy smile stretched from side to side.
Internally, Izuku sighed. "I… need you help," the swarm replied. " I'm having a bit of trouble with Overhaul, you see. He locked me out of the room."
"And what exactly does that have to do with us?" The one armed Compress asked.
"Twice."
Said villain straightened up upon hearing his name. "Yes? / What the heck do you want?"
Izuku finally reached the upward tunnel that the villains were digging. He steadily made his way up the slope as fast as he could.
"You can make more clones, right? Like the one you made of Bombastic a while ago?"
"Why should I tell you? / But of course!"
"Right… Well, I was wondering, could you make one to help me break down the wall?"
There was a collective chorus of no's from Compress and Twice, though Toga remained quiet.
They suddenly tensed as Izuku neared, his footsteps audible to them.
However, as Izuku arrived, he merely pleaded to them. "Please? I know that you want Overhaul taken down as much as I do. But I can't do that if I can't get to him. The wall's to thick and Lemillion's giving it his all, but he's—"
"Do it."
"Huh?"
"What?!?"
"Wait, really?!"
"Yeah," Toga reaffirmed. "Twice, make him a clone."
"Are you that that's wise?" Compress asked.
"Of course!" Toga cheered. "It's Izuku! He' ll get the job done. And then Overhaul will be outta our hair!" She turned towards Twice. "So what do you say? You alright with that?"
"Heck no! I'll never! / Alright, fine. But only because you asked, Toga."
"Thank you!" Izuku exclaimed, bowing his head in recognition.
"Uh uh uh!" Izuku stilled, the cold touch of metal finding its place under his chin. He let the knife slowly raise her head until his eyes met those of Toga's.
"Not so fast, 'zuku. What do we get in return?"
Izuku blinked. "Me taking down a mutual enemy doesn't count?"
Toga giggled. "Maybe. But I want a little more incentive than that. Something to sweeten the deal, eh?" Her eyes shined in amusement.
Izuku sighed. He really needed the help. "Fine. I hate to say this, but I sorta of owe you now. A favor, for future use. That's good enough, Toga?"
She harrumphed. "Fine, alright. Twice, give him what he wants."
Izuku blinked at Toga's reaction. He shook his head, turning to face Twice. "Alright… can I have another Compress? He seems to be doing well at getting rid of rock."
"Nope! / Not a chance!"
"What?" Izuku questioned. "Why not!'
"It doesn't work like that!" Twice exclaimed. "My clones get weaker the more of them I make. But for some reason that doesn't seem to apply to your kind. / Yeah, you freaks! What the heck is up with that, anyway?!"
"My kind?"
"Uh huh! You newby quirk mutations interact differently with my quirk. / Why'd you guys have to make everything so difficult!"
"As is," Twice continued, "you only have two options for this. / Serves you right!"
"Caustic was kinda hard to measure, so he's out. That leaves Gerry, who's kind of too big for this tunnel, or Ruka. / Caustic's such an ass! Gerry's fine though! And Ruka is... eh"
Izuku sighed once more. Twice's split personality thingy was getting a bit irritating. But his odd nature aside, none of his options were ideal. But really, Izuku only had one choice given the circumstances.
"Can Ruka's arms really destroy the wall?" Izuku asked.
"Definitely! She can get pretty strong! / That witch can destroy so much with just her arms."
"Well, alright. Bring her up, then."
In an instant, she was there. Izuku almost didn't recognize her without her hood, something she wasn't wearing once she came into existence.
Ruka had short, messy, black curly hair. Her face was one of serenity at first, but turned into an immediate scowl that sent shivers down Izuku's spine. The fact that the rest of her costume was still present cemented the frightening image into Izuku's mind.
"What the fuck is he doing here?" Ruka asked.
"You're gonna help him with a little problem he has!" Toga explained with a smile.
"What!?" She dashed forward, her hand finding itself around Toga's throat. "Why the hell should I listen to you? And why should I even help him in the first place!?"
Compress sighed. Izuku thought that he heard him mutter something like "Not again," but he wasn't entirely sure.
"Miss Ruka, please." Compress said. "It regards that Overhaul fellow. He'll be taken out of the picture if you help young Midoriya here."
Ruka's face twitched. Her scowl somewhat receded and she removed her hand from around Toga's throat. "Ugh fine."
One of her ethereal hands suddenly sprung out from the ground and held onto Izuku's face, positioning it so she was staring Ruka straight in the eye.
"But don't think of this as something I want, you bastard. You hear me?"
"Yes," Izuku nodded. "Of course."
"Hmmph." She dissipated the hand and let go of Izuku's head, but not before letting it collide with the tunnel's walls first. "Then lead the way, then."
Notes:
And that's that. I'm pretty sure the raid's gonna be done by the next chapter unless something changes. So, see you all next time!
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