Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
Yamato, the katana forged in darkness, Vergil's signature weapon, a legendary sword once wielded by his father, Sparda. It was one of the strongest swords he knew, capable of unimaginable feats, able to cut through anything, even the very fabric of space to create portals.
By sheer force of will, Yamato had been able to sever and separate the human world from the demon world in Sparda's hands. And those were just some of the feats Yamato was capable of; there were many more, each one just as ridiculous as the last.
The one I held in my hand, in the version Mai had become, was a pale shadow of the original Yamato, but it would fulfill its role, the only thing I needed it to be used for.
Virgil had been able to use Yamato to separate his demonic side from his human side, creating two separate entities. So, like its counterpart, the Yamato that Mai had created, she was now capable of doing that.
Separate Chisaki from the monsters she was fused with.
It was more than enough. I smiled wildly.
"I—I can't believe it worked!" Mai exclaimed in amazement. I burst out laughing as I lunged toward Chisaki. I no longer had the aura to sustain my Chimera Shadow Garden, so my shadows receded and finally vanished, but I still laughed heartily.
I arrived near Chisaki. Sun Breathing: Thirteenth Form. Mai's blade pierced Chisaki's monstrous flesh, not like a cut, but passed right through it, cleanly, as if it were immaterial, but the effect was immediate.
A monster emerged from Chisaki's flesh and separated, Chisaki's size decreasing slightly. Then I continued moving and cutting. Each cut separated a monster and reduced Chisaki's size.
I moved quickly around Chisaki's entire body, hundreds of cuts hit Chisaki in a few seconds and in that time, hundreds of monsters appeared and began to fall from the sky.
Finally, I approached Chisaki's body and sliced her in half vertically. The blow passed right through her without causing any damage, but the effect was obvious as Chisaki was flung to one side while the dungeon boss was flung to the other.
It was the first time I'd really seen the dungeon's monsters. They were lizards. Lizards and reptiles, white and enormous and wild and of different shapes, but, in the end, lizards, just like the dungeon boss, who was a huge lizard the size of an elephant that seemed to breathe ice.
In fact, the dungeon boss was truly distinctive. I didn't even know if I could call it a lizard or even a reptile. It had absolutely no scales on its body; it was simply pure, wrinkled white skin, with various wounds all over its body that made it look even more repulsive.
The monster only had hind legs; its upper limbs were two white skin wings that allowed it to fly, and finally, its head—to my surprise, the monster had no eyes, it was just a huge mouth that covered the entire monster's head.
In essence, it looked like a very miniature version of Chisaki's monstrous form, only less Lovecraftian horror.
I was about to move to kill them all, but to my surprise, the others around me hadn't frozen. They seemed surprised and incredulous at the appearance of the monsters and Chisaki, yes, but even so, they moved and began killing the monsters that fell easily.
So I focused on what was most important.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Mirko!! Let's finish this!!" I yelled at Mirko and lunged towards Chisaki.
"MIYAMURA!!!" Chisaki shouted. She seemed furious, but very, very battered, tired, and exhausted, yet her furious gaze hadn't diminished in the slightest; her aura was practically nonexistent. I pulled Enma out of my shadows with some effort and reached Chisaki's side.
Chisaki had virtually no support or means of orienting herself or protecting herself in the air, so she was completely defenseless against my attack. Enma easily severed her hand as Mirko appeared on the other side, her legs closing in a scissor-like motion and tearing off her remaining hand before she could reboot herself once more.
I burst out laughing as Chisaki let out a sound of pain. I approached her, spun around in the air, and kicked her jaw, knocking her unconscious. I let one of Round Deer's legs emerge from my shadows and healed her enough to stop the bleeding. Then I grabbed the still-unconscious Chisaki and threw her towards Visha, who squealed in surprise but quickly caught Chisaki.
Finally, I charged at the dungeon boss. Unlike Chisaki, it was terribly slow, terribly weak, and terribly squishy. I could tell it was an A-rank monster, without a doubt, but even I, with almost no aura and my body exhausted, was able to overcome it with ease.
Enma plunged into its body and severed its Essence Stone, killing it instantly. To my dismay, the monster didn't disappear, nor would it; its corpse simply continued to fall. I groaned loudly as I watched hundreds of monsters rain down on the city.
I gritted my teeth once more and began to pull the corpses into my shadows. Then I moved to finish off the remaining monsters in the air and continue absorbing them.
Even absorbing half of the gigantic monster that I hadn't managed to separate with great effort. I gritted my teeth as I felt my entire body become heavy. Monsters think much more than people, so I was holding tons of weight inside me, to the point that my legs moved so slowly they couldn't generate enough force to keep me aloft, and I began to fall.
"Gotcha!" Tanya said as she grabbed my torso. I snorted playfully. It was good that my shadows so casually violated the laws of physics, and that only I felt the weight inside them, so someone else could easily carry me.
"My hero," I said to Tanaya, smiling at her. She blushed slightly but didn't say anything. We all finally began our descent. As soon as I touched the ground, I stumbled, my knees threatening to buckle.
I groaned in annoyance; I was standing in the middle of the street, so I just started spewing out the monsters' corpses in a huge pile. I sighed with relief when all the bodies finally came out.
"Everyone! Are you alright?!" Aizawa asked urgently as he ran up alongside Sir Nighteye and the other heroes. I could see Mirio and his group looking worried, and even the police had arrived. I took a deep breath before smiling broadly and arrogantly.
"The villain Kai Chisaki has been neutralized, detained, and arrested! The dungeon boss and the monsters have been defeated! Mission accomplished!" I said with a deranged smile as I straightened up, then the others landed behind me.
"Did we really do it?" Visha murmured as she laid Chisaki on the ground.
"You... you really beat her." Sir Nighteye said, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at Chisaki on the ground. I just smiled even wider.
"Of course we did!" Mirko said with a laugh.
"Well done, Izumi, to everyone, but... how... how did you separate them? I don't think you've had that ability before." Aizawa said, frowning and confused.
"That... was incredible, you really managed to save Overhaul." Izuku said, approaching me with shining eyes. I could see everyone else waiting for a response, so I simply nodded.
"I'll explain. I'm sure I'll have to make a statement, especially, but first, one last thing." I said with a tired smile. I dropped Enma into my shadows as I pulled out a sheath for Mai, carefully adjusting it to my hip before my shadows bubbled once more as something emerged from within.
"Eri!" several people shouted at the same time, especially Izuku and Mirio, both of whom took steps forward. And yes, I had finally brought Eri out, who was looking at everything with wide eyes, her arms around the remaining Divine Dog, the enormous white wolf that was bigger than her and that allowed itself to be hugged by a bewildered Eri.
"You... defeated her." Eri said, her gaze finally locking onto me. I smiled broadly, crouched down to her level, and placed my hand on her head.
"Of course, I'm the strongest!" I said cheerfully. Eri just kept staring at me, and I laughed even harder as I stroked her head. Then I blinked and continued stroking her head. Eri looked at me, confused. I just stared at her, continuing to stroke her head with more enthusiasm. Eri closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation. "Can I keep her?" I practically begged. Eri's eyes widened, and then she pulled away.
""No."" Aizawa and Sir Nighteye said firmly.
"Aww." I said ruefully as I looked at Eri, then sighed and stood up. Eri grabbed the sleeve of my kimono, stopping me. I smiled gently at her. "Go with the heroes, Eri, they'll take care of you," I said softly. Eri held on tighter. "How about this? You can keep my wolf. He'll watch over you and stay by your side, and he'll tell me if you're in danger. And when things are better, I'll come visit you. What do you say?" I asked Eri. Eri just stared at me as if searching for something. Finally, she nodded and slowly let go. I sighed as I stood up. Eri clung even more tightly to the wolf. I looked at Aizawa and Sir Nighteye.
"Where are Chisaki's creations? I can separate them and save the people," I said without hesitation. They both opened their eyes, but nodded and their faces hardened, although they lost some tension.
"The police were moving them to a building to contain them, let's go." Aizawa said while nodding.
"I'll stay behind to handcuff Overhaul and look after Eri," Sir Nighteye said. Aizawa nodded and frowned at me, then hesitated for a few seconds.
"Can I speak with both of you, alone?" I asked Aizawa and Sir Nighteye. They both stopped and looked at me, but nodded. I could feel everyone's worried stares, but we ignored them and started walking a few meters away. Except for Mirio and Izuku, who immediately went over to Eri and started talking to her.
"Hey! You won't be talking to my buddy alone without me! " Mirko growled as she joined us.
"Speak." Aizawa said. I grimaced, reached inside my shadows, and pulled out a small case. I'd snatched it from Chisaki when I threw her at Visha in mid-air. How did she still have that? I had no idea. But I suppose the answer would be the same as how her clothes had remained intact even after rebooting and fusing hundreds of times.
"I took it from Chisaki," I said as I opened it. "Quirk-erasing bullets, they're permanent," I said simply. I could see the three heroes' eyes widen. Sir Nighteye immediately snatched them from me.
"Why did you have this?" Sir Nighteye asked dangerously. I wrinkled my nose before making a face.
"I had planned to use it on Chisaki secretly." I confessed.
"What were you going to do?" Aizawa asked dangerously. I clicked my tongue. I could feel the three heroes glared at me. Well, Mirko seemed to be looking at me with curiosity rather than judgment.
"Look, it was just one idea. Look at what Chisaki caused, what she was able to do with Overhaul in a short time, what she would be able to do if she got her hands back, which, really, isn't difficult with really strong healing quirks."
"But what worries me most is that All For One will steal that quirk. I have no doubt that this whole mess will be in the news. If word gets out about what Overhaul is capable of, the League of Villains won't hesitate to invite her to join them or even just steal her quirk."
"And believe me, that will only end in a disaster many times worse than this." I said solemnly. I could see everyone pale and stagger at the idea I had just presented. I could see Sir Nighteye grit his teeth.
"She'll be at Tartatus." Mirko said with a frown as she crossed her arms, and I sighed.
"If you really think that All For One at full power won't be able to break through Tartarus and free the villains, you're seriously underestimating her," I said dryly.
"You saw it." Sir Nighteye said without any doubt. I grimaced.
"Yes, she broke into all the prisons in the country and freed all the villains." I told them honestly, well, all but one, but there was no point in telling them about Gentle Criminal, especially since I didn't know if he even existed. Hmmm … I'd have to look him up. Especially since the UA School Festival was coming up soon.
"And even if I hadn't, it would be something AFO would do, just to sow chaos in the country. Believe me, I don't like this in the slightest. Breaking Chisaki's quirk is horrible, but unfortunately, it's not something I can take lightly. The League of Villains has already proven capable of taking powerful quirks like Moord Nag in Africa. I really don't want to fight Overhaul again, especially if she ends up in All For One's hands."
"I had the opportunity to kill Chisaki. Ryukyu had given the orders from the HPSC and the Hunter Association. Even so, I decided to save Chisaki because it was the right thing to do, but I really don't want to risk the Overhaul quirk. Between Chisaki's life and taking away her quirk, I would truly prefer the latter." I said solemnly. The three heroes remained in deathly silence.
"I will," Sir Nighteye said solemnly. Aizawa looked at him and nodded before sighing. Sir Nighteye took a deep breath as he gripped the case tightly, his knuckles turning white as his gaze shifted to Chisaki.
"I don't like this at all, Miyamura," Aizawa said hoarsely. I grimaced. "But I understand why you did it, or at least what you were thinking, so I won't punish you. Keep quiet about it, don't tell the police. We'll let the higher-ups handle it discreetly."
"If the public knows we have a way to remove quirks available and we didn't hesitate to use it, however limited it may be, it'll be a complete circus." Aizawa said bitterly, and I wrinkled my nose.
"Could you... blame the power interaction?" I said, wrinkling my nose as I lifted Mai up.
"My power and Mai's were able to create a sword capable of separating monsters and humans. It wasn't something we could test before this fight; I didn't even know we could do it. It was completely impromptu, not even planned. So, we can say it was simply... a complete oversight and a bad power interaction." I said slowly. Aizawa stopped, as did Sir Nighteye. They looked at each other for a few seconds before nodding.
"I'll pass on the idea," Aizawa said noncommittally. Sir Nighteye nodded in confirmation, and I just sighed wearily. "Now let's go, we have to save more people," Aizawa said. I nodded and gave a pass before swaying slightly.
"Hey! Are you okay? " Mirko asked, grabbing my shoulder.
"Izumi?!" Mai asked urgently, though she too sounded tense and terribly tired. I blinked slightly and glanced at Aizawa and Mirko, who were looking at me with concern, then yawned widely.
"Yes... I'm fine, this... took a lot of my aura." I sighed wearily. "Let's finish this once and for all. I have the strength for it, but after that, I'll collapse like a sack of potatoes." I said curtly to both of them, and they both nodded. Aizawa quickly began to guide me toward where the police were. I could see Sir Nighteye start moving with rapid steps while barking orders to the police.
Finally, we arrived at where Chisaki's creations were, completely immobilized and restrained. Aizawa began giving orders to the police as he carefully started dragging them outside once again as they were released.
I grabbed Mai, still in her Yamato form, and sliced the monster in half. The person and the monster separated and fell to either side, as if they'd been torn apart. The woman fell to the ground as the monster screamed, or at least tried to. Mirko appeared above the monster and struck it with her heel; its head exploded, and it died instantly.
"Let's continue," Mirko said solemnly. Everyone nodded and brought in the next one. Luckily, Chisaki, in order to complete her transformation, had unfused most of the monsters. The few that remained were those that had escaped and those that the other heroes had already faced.
Even so, it took several minutes to complete and free everyone. Mirko easily killed all the monsters. So we finally finished. I breathed heavily.
"Mai, return to your normal form," I said wearily. To my surprise, her form changed again. She lost her Yamato appearance and reverted to a normal sword before returning to her human form. Mai stumbled slightly. I tried to grab her, but I stumbled too. Even so, I held on tightly.
"Izumi." Mai murmured, almost sleepily. Finally, we both collapsed completely exhausted to one side, though someone caught us before we fell.
"Good work to both of you, it's time for you to rest." I heard the voice of… Mirko? before I completely lost consciousness from exhaustion.
Author's Notes : Well, with that, Shie Hassaikai is finally over! There's still a short arc focused on Taylor and Brockton Bay; I don't know how many chapters it will take, but in theory, it's planned to be short (don't take my word for it, I can't estimate chapter lengths). After that, this Work Studies arc will finally end. As always, there will be several POVs, though I haven't decided which ones yet.
Now, about the fight itself, it actually took a different turn from my original plan, and although I felt it was quite clumsy and rough in some parts due to the lack of prior planning, I'm satisfied with how it turned out, I hope you liked it.
Finally, about Mai. The fight itself was going to end with just the Totality on Mai; that was already more than enough of a boost for Mai and Izumi. The new combinations and things she can do with them gave her an even greater chance.
But someone has been mentioning Virgil's Yamato several times, and it just stuck with me, and I couldn't help but use it, especially since its ability to separate things was perfect.
And also because I definitely wanted to start bringing in swords from other series, obviously.
What does that mean for Mai? I haven't the slightest idea. I didn't want Mai to create swords infinitely; that would be too much, even for me. So, the decision to have Mai transform into them seemed better. Now, I still haven't decided how that will manifest.
On the one hand, if I want to limit it a lot, I could simply make the transformations in the new swords not permanent, so if they wanted to use any sword, new or repeated, that they had already used, they would have to pay the cost to create it again.
On the other hand, there's the option of making them permanent so Mai can switch between each sword form she's created, essentially allowing her to accumulate sword forms. I'll have to find some limits to avoid making it completely ridiculous, but it's an idea.
I'll see how I can solve it.