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[Showdown 2]
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…
—BOOOM!—
Debris and rubble were sent flying violently as a wall was blasted apart, the impact making the entire arena rumble.
-Step, step, step-
From the cloud of rising dust that rose upon the wall breaking apart, a figure stepped out, cracking his neck to one side, then the other.
"This isn't what we agreed on... but I guess I should have seen it coming," The figure muttered, sounding mildly annoyed as it finally stepped out of the dust, revealing Taka, who stared forward with a collected gaze.
His gaze settled on the shifting figure at the other end of the arena, tons and tons of vapor emanating from it, and swallowing it completely.
Even so, the faint remaining lights around the arena allowed him to make out the general shape of what was happening.
The silhouette inside the vapor was changing.
What had once been a human figure was rapidly becoming something monstrous.
The body swelled in size, bones cracking and reshaping as its frame expanded into a towering form. Six massive arms unfolded from its torso, thick and uneven, each one ending in claw-like fingers. From its back, jagged appendages spread outward like twisted wings.
The violent and gruesome change continued for a few seconds more—until, at last, everything went to a still, silence completely taking over the arena in but an instant.
That's when Taka saw it.
Two golden eyes burned brightly at the center of the huge vortex of vapor, their murderous shine piercing through the haze and locking directly onto him.
"ROCKINEEEEESIIIIIIS!!!"
Chisaki's—No, Overhaul's distorted and ferocious roar rang out, powerful enough to fill the entirety of the arena in no time.
A quiet huff escaped the teenager.
"I suppose I have no other option but to play by it, then," He muttered, grin widening beneath his mask as his eyes took on an excited glint.
With that, he began walking forward.
At the same time, on Overhaul's side, the cloud of vapor that had formed burst outward in a violent rush.
The monstrous form of Overhaul emerged from within it, walking forward with furious stomps.
—Thunk!—
—Thunk!—
—Thunk!—
Before long, his stride broke into a full sprint, each step forward cracking the floor below and allowing him to reach a superhuman speed.
Taka did the same, slowly building up momentum—until he was speeding ahead too, his figure blurring amidst the dark surroundings.
A trail of destruction, product of their sheer speed and momentum, followed them as they charged against each other, like two titanic beasts about to pounce on each other.
Until, at last, the two collided.
—CLANG!—
The shockwave alone cracked the concrete beneath them and hurled both fighters several meters apart from the recoil.
—Crckckckck!—
As Overhaul was sent backward, both his hands slammed onto the floor and left a trail as they dug into it to stop his momentum.
And while he did, his Quirk also activated.
Suddenly, dozens—no, hundreds—of razor-sharp spikes burst forward, shooting across the arena in an enormous wave of stone.
Compared to Taka, the storm of spikes looked like a tidal wave ready to swallow him whole.
But even in the face of such an overwhelming attack, after recovering from the clash, Taka merely accelerated.
And as he dove inside it without fear, his body began moving through the chaos as if it belonged there.
He twisted left and right mid-flight, slipping between spikes that shot past him at lethal speeds. When one was unavoidable, he struck it aside, shattering it instantly. At other times, he used the sheer density of the attack to his advantage, redirecting spikes so they collided and shattered against one another.
He made surfing through that storm of blades look almost effortless.
And in no time—
He was already in front of Overhaul.
The Yakuza couldn't react.
His own forest of spikes had blocked his vision, and before he realized it—
—CLANG!—
A rising kick slammed directly into his enormous body.
The impact launched him skyward like a bullet.
But as Overhaul rocketed upward, Taka followed just as quickly.
Before the monster could reach the ceiling—
—BAM!—
"Ack—!"
Taka appeared above him, his leg crashing down in a brutal guillotine kick that slammed directly into Overhaul's stomach.
The force reversed his momentum instantly.
Both of them plummeted downward like a comet.
—BOOOOOM!—
Soon, they smashed into the ground together.
The impact carved a massive crater into the arena floor, causing fissures to spread around the point of impact in a single instant.
Then, as if that brutal exchange had only been the beginning, movement stirred within the rising dust. A moment later, it was blasted away, revealing both fighters already trading blows.
"I'LL TEAR APART THAT BARRIER OF YOURS! AND WHEN I DO, I'LL MAKE SURE TO LEAVE YOUR HEAD INTACT SO I CAN HANG IT FOR OTHERS TO SEE!"
Overhaul's enraged roar echoed as his six arms lashed out relentlessly, each strike powerful enough to create shockwaves on impact.
Taka dodged most of the attacks, blocking some and returning blows of his own.
Even so, the advantage of numbers began to show.
Soon, several strikes slipped past his defenses, threatening to land cleanly and shatter the barrier keeping Overhaul's quirk from reaching him.
At times, some of Overhaul's hands slipped away from the fight to touch the surroundings and send more spikes and other formations to interfere with Taka's rhythm.
Even though he was holding his ground, the sheer volume of attacks was forcing Taka beyond his current capabilities.
Recognizing the danger, Taka forced a time-out, releasing a burst of raw aura in Overhaul's face.
—BOOM!—
Instantly, the explosion of raw energy produced a shockwave that forced Overhaul backward several meters, his six arms and legs clawing at the ground to stop himself.
At the same time, however, Overhaul didn't let Taka take as much of a breather as he could have liked. As his hands clawed at the ground, he also used his Quirk to morph it into massive pillars that shot like massive hammers toward Taka.
"...!" Reacting quickly, the teenager simply tilted his body aside, letting the pillars graze past him as they sped by.
Then he used them.
The flying pillars briefly blocked Overhaul's vision, and in that instant, Taka launched himself forward, crossing the distance between them almost immediately.
Taka rammed straight into him, using his aura to form a barrier in front of him, allowing him to act like a literal shooting star that ran over the unsuspecting Overhaul.
—CRKKCKRKR!!!—
"AAAARGH!!"
With Taka's speed and momentum, Overhaul had no escape. He was rammed by Taka's vertiginous figure and dragged across the arena floor while Taka continued advancing mercilessly, carving a massive trench through the concrete that dug into Overhaul's back.
Throughout the entire movement, the villain clawed wildly at him, striking again and again at the invisible barrier protecting Taka from his deadly touch.
The teenager's eyes narrowed, feeling the barrier he had made beginning to dwindle in front of Overhaul's strikes.
Thinking quickly, he seized Overhaul's body with his aura and lifted him into the air.
Then he spun.
Using centrifugal force, he began swinging the villain faster and faster. Overhaul's massive body began whipping through the air like a spinning top—
Until Taka let go.
Overhaul shot away like a projectile.
—BOOOOOM!—
He crashed into the arena wall, smashing straight through it and triggering a massive collapse of debris.
Taka hovered in the air for a moment, catching his breath as small beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
Then—
"ROCKINESIIIIIS!!!"
Overhaul's distorted scream echoed across the arena once again, making Taka wince slightly.
Moments later, the mountain of rubble from the crash exploded outward.
A furious Overhaul burst from the debris.
Then, grabbing huge chunks of rubble with his oversized hands, he hurled them forward at tremendous speed.
Of course, before such slow attacks, Taka dodged them easily.
But when one large piece flew straight toward him, and he began to evade—
Overhaul's massive figure suddenly appeared from behind it, having used the debris as a distraction.
Thus, the distance between them vanished instantly.
'Here we go again.'
Thus, the clash resumed.
Fists and kicks by the dozen flew in every direction, debris and dust rising just from the rhythm of their fight, as their sheer speed and momentum while fighting seemed to drill into the very ground.
They, however, didn't stay put in a single spot during all that.
Time and time again, shockwaves erupted between blows, hurling them across the arena from the recoil.
Yet, no matter how far they got separated, they always lunged back to each other without delay.
Neither seemed willing to give the other time to breathe.
As the battle grew in violence, with debris previously there turning into mere dust from the sheer intensity of their fight, their bodies ricocheted across the arena at terrifying speed, slamming into the ground, walls, rubble, and pillars as shockwaves exploded in every direction while the brutal clash continued.
"RAAAGH!"
"..."
At one point, much like many times already, the two rushed each other again, diving back into the fray as dust and debris exploded beneath their feet.
They separated for a brief instant—then lunged at each other once more.
Taka weaved between the incoming attacks, slipping through gaps in Overhaul's relentless barrage and striking whenever an opening appeared.
As the rhythm of dodging and counterattacking settled in, Taka's body instinctively began tapping into another reserve of power.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[Let's Dance] (ACTIVATED!)
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
His movements changed immediately.
Dodges that had once been rough and slightly desperate became smooth and deliberate. His body moved only as much as necessary, each motion calm and precise as Overhaul's attacks suddenly seemed slower—clearer.
Every time Overhaul struck, Taka slipped past the blow with effortless grace before retaliating with even greater force.
Somehow, six arms attacked him at once, and all six were handled with ease.
The sight only made Overhaul's fury grow.
But rage didn't make him stronger; it only made him sloppier in Taka's darting eyes.
As the fight dragged on, mistakes began appearing in his movements—small openings born from frustration and desperation.
Taka exploited every single one.
—BAM!—
—BAM!—
—BAM!—
Blow after blow slammed into Overhaul's battered body.
Then, when one of Overhaul's claws lunged too far forward, Taka slipped beneath him.
—CLANG!—
His leg shot forward.
The monstrous kick launched Overhaul across the arena in an instant.
But Taka didn't let the punishment end there.
With explosive speed, he shot after the reeling Overhaul, reaching him almost immediately.
And with the villain still stunned from the previous hit—and with no ground beneath him to properly defend himself—
—TATATATATATATATATATATA!—
—Taka proceeded to subject the villain to a relentless and ferocious assault. Overhaul's body convulsed under the barrage as hundreds of fists hammered into him without a single moment of respite.
All of it was happening while they were still flying through the air.
In seconds, they approached one of the arena's few remaining intact walls.
—At least, it had been intact until Taka decided to end the assault with a final punch.
One charged with every ounce of his physical strength.
—CLANG!!!—
The sound of bones cracking echoed through the arena as blood burst from the point of impact.
Overhaul's body blurred as he was launched toward the wall with unprecedented speed.
—BOOOOM!—
The entire wall—and much of the surrounding structure—collapsed under the force of the crash. Causing a large portion of the arena to crumble away, and many of the remaining lights to flicker out, plunging the facility into near darkness.
'Did that do it?'
Breathing heavily but steadily, Taka descended from the air and began walking toward the wreckage. His footsteps echoed through the now-silent facility.
Moments later, he reached the massive pile of rubble where the wall had once stood.
He watched it carefully, his eyes calm but alert.
Then—
—Swoosh!—
Taka tilted his head slightly as a small yet incredibly sharp spike shot from the debris, aiming straight for him.
It missed by centimeters.
The spike immediately retreated back into the rubble.
But Taka didn't let it go.
He extended a hand, and in tandem, his aura surged outward, spreading across the wreckage and pushing rubble aside as if it weighed nothing.
Stones shifted, metal screeched, debris rolled away.
Eventually, Overhaul's body was revealed.
He lay buried among the broken concrete.
Most—if not all—of his arms were broken. Bruises covered nearly every inch of his body, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He looked so battered he might pass out at any second.
If he hadn't already.
Seeing him like that, Taka scoffed.
"In the end, even with a second chance, you still weren't up to the task," he mocked. "What a sad existence you are, Overhaul."
There was no response.
Overhaul's gaze remained vacant as he lay completely still.
Several seconds passed while Taka watched him silently, as if expecting a final desperate attack.
But nothing came.
Taka sneered.
The villain was still breathing faintly, but it seemed the last barrage had actually finished him.
'It was about time he went down. How many hits was that? This guy can really take a beating.'
He shook his head wryly.
Truthfully, he was running on fumes.
His aura reserves were still decent, but his body was thoroughly exhausted.
That fight had been harder than it needed to be.
'Though I guess that's partly my fault.'
Shrugging the thought away, he stepped forward.
Then his gaze turned cold as a cutting aura began to form along his arm.
'Luckily—or maybe unluckily for him—I'm still not at the point where I can kill someone…'
The energy sharpened.
'But that doesn't mean I can't take away his Quirk.'
His eyes settled on Overhaul's arms. The source of his quirk factor.
Once those were gone, Overhaul's power would disappear with them. Forever.
And with them gone, only a sad vestige of a man would be left.
Narrowing his eyes, Taka slowly raised his arm, like an executioner lifting an axe, about to deliver the finishing blow.
To end Overhaul, and with it, the Shie Hassaikai.
'Enjoy being powerless for the rest of your life, Chisaki.'
With that thought, Taka moved.
Then—
—Squelch!—
Blood sprayed, bursting, and covering the floor and debris around them.
"...!"
... But it wasn't Chisaki's
It was Taka's.
"Damn."
His pupils shook as his gaze fell on the culprit behind the splash of blood.
There was an incredibly sharp spike peeking out of his chest, having sprouted from the floor behind him, and piercing through his back until his chest.
"This sucks..."
As those words left his mouth, Chisaki's eyes, which until then had been blank and completely still—moved, locking onto Taka with maddened delight.
"Hahaha… HAHAHAHAHA!"
Loud, unrestrained laughter echoed through the ruined arena.
Slowly, Chisaki stood up, staring at Taka's wavering frame with eyes curled in manic joy.
"In the end, I survived… HOW'S THAT, ROCKINESIS?!" he shouted triumphantly. "The Shie Hassaikai lives on while you and your delusions die here!"
Taka, meanwhile, slowly raised a hand toward the hole in his chest.
His fingers touched the wound.
Then he looked at the blood staining them.
'So even the points I put into defense just in case weren't enough… huh?'
He scoffed. The motion forced a spurt of blood from his throat.
Staggering, he took a few unsteady steps back, a self-mocking sneer forming on his face.
"How the hell did I fall for the oldest trick in the book…?" he muttered.
He kept retreating until his back bumped against a massive chunk of wreckage.
Slowly, he slid down and sat against it—leaving a trail of blood on the rock—before staring at Chisaki as blood continued to seep from his chest.
The Yakuza approached at a leisurely pace, savoring the sight.
When he spoke, his voice carried both mockery and simmering anger.
"You mentioned you came looking for Eri, didn't you?"
He stopped a few meters away.
"Normally, I don't bother holding grudges against people who aren't the main source of my hatred… but you…"
His grin widened.
"Just for you, I'll make sure to enjoy taking that kid back. I won't even bother pretending to care about her feelings anymore while I cut her apart for the sake of my future empire. She will live and die for my research, nothing more and nothing less."
He leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming.
"Die there, Rockinesis—knowing that because of you, that child will be going through a living hell from now on."
Taka didn't answer.
He simply closed his eyes, his head slowly lowering.
Chisaki frowned.
The calm reaction irritated him; he had wanted to see the despair of having failed in his "heroic mission" pass through his opponent's eyes. To make him feel even a tiny bit of what he had made him go through in the past hour.
But while he wanted it more than anything—he knew not to waste time.
He was not going to miss this chance to survive.
So, he raised a hand and prepared to reach forward and activate his Quirk at last.
Unfortunately for him—
He never got the chance.
—Squelch!—
Blood burst into the air.
Several heavy thuds followed as things struck the ground with wet, sickening sounds.
For a moment, Chisaki didn't understand what had happened.
Then he looked down.
And saw the cold reality.
All six of his arms—
Were gone.
"AAAAARGH!"
A scream tore from his throat as he collapsed to his knees, agony overwhelming him.
His eyes darted toward the man he had supposedly defeated.
"...?!"
Yet the body lying against the rubble hadn't moved at all.
That was when he felt something drape over his shoulders.
An arm.
"Looks like we both fell for the oldest trick in the book."
Chisaki's tear-filled eyes slowly shifted to the side—
And widened in horror.
Standing beside him, casually slinging an arm around his shoulders…
Was Taka.
Another one.
'How...?' Chisaki's mind struggled to comprehend reality. Until he recalled the thing that actually made Rockinesis blow up online in the first place.
Clones.
"You really messed up at the end there," another voice said from the opposite side.
A second Taka approached, looking toward the one lying against the rubble.
Then, another appeared, looking at them from on top of a nearby pile of debris. "Honestly, I can't believe we had to bail you out against Chisaki of all people."
Chisaki's eyes frantically darted around, terror spreading across his face.
"Well, at least now we know," another Taka said thoughtfully as he caressed his chin from some meters apart, "that we should blast enemies with a finishing attack before walking up to them… even if they look unconscious."
"I guess having the memories of all the power the original has makes us overconfident," another one who appeared from nowhere added. "Even though we're way weaker now."
"This is what happens when we rush things before developing a proper detection ability." Another Taka, standing behind Chisaki, commented.
As the seconds went by, more and more figures began to appear around him, each and every single one having the exact same appearance and the exact look in their eyes.
Disdain.
Despair slowly filled Chisaki's eyes.
But then—the voice of the fallen Taka echoed from ahead.
"To be fair, all of you. I'm not an expert on brain activity, so it was hard for me to know for sure. Plus, I only have a part of the original's power, so my reaction speed is also slower."
"You..."
Chisaki slowly turned his head back toward the body he had believed to be dying.
Only to be even more shaken when he saw his injuries healing at a rapid speed.
That, added to his words from just a moment ago...
"… You were a clone all along?" Chisaki asked, his voice trembling.
...
A small laugh escaped the fallen Taka.
"I think I left it pretty clear..."
"...?"
"I came here for the girl," Taka—no, the clone, said calmly. "You were merely secondary."
Soft snickers spread among the surrounding clones. Furthering Chisaki's broken state.
Then, the clone spoke again, his voice final and somewhat amused.
"You—no... your people, your henchmen, your boss, you yourself... The entire Shie Hassaikai you were so proud of…"
He stood up and walked up to Chisaki, before staring down at him with the same piercing crimson eyes that seemed to see everything.
"... Wasn't even important enough for the original to deal with personally."
…
°
°
°
| Underground facility, minutes earlier… |
…
—Rumble—
"Those guys sure are going wild…" Taka—the real one—muttered as he glanced around after the entire facility shook for unknown reasons.
After a small shrug, however, he turned forward again, gulping nervously as he stopped in front of a door.
'Alright… how the hell do I do this?'
Seiji had taught him how to fight, along with many parts of hero work, back when he had still been Quirkless.
But this…
This was something he hadn't been prepared for.
Talking to traumatized children.
Should he just tell her outright that everything was over and that she was safe?
Or was there some kind of tact he was supposed to use here?
-Scratch, scratch-
Frustrated, Taka scratched the back of his head before letting out an annoyed sigh.
"Whatever. I'll figure it out on the spot."
And so, without further ado—
He opened the door.
…
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-To Be Continued...-
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(A/N: Alright, and that concludes the arc, except for Eri's part.
How was the revelation? Had you already figured it out, or did I manage to fool you, even if only for a bit?
Hopefully, the revelation helped make the struggle the clone went through against someone like Chisaki feel worth it.)