Junsei had barely taken a few steps inside the house when four Yakuza emerged from around a corner ahead of him.
All four raised their guns instantly.
Junsei lifted his hand.
Three compressed blood bullets shot forward in perfect alignment. Each struck the hand holding the guns. Weapons clattered to the floor alongside severed fingers.
The men screamed.
Junsei's voice remained level.
"Which one of you is Overhaul?"
The man in the lead, pale and shaking from pain, forced himself upright.
"You'll pay for this!" he spat. "The boss will make you…"
Junsei fired again, four precise shots to the heads.
The only sound in the corridor was the bodies hitting the floor.
Junsei stepped over the bodies. He did not need them. He needed only one person.
He extended his senses.
The house was empty, he couldn't feel life anywhere. But he could feel life some distance underneath him. There were multiple presences.
Junsei moved around the house for two minutes searching for a visible staircase. None appeared. The architecture was traditional and deceptively simple.
When his sight failed him, he switched to rely on his sense of smell.
He inhaled slowly as he started another round of searching.
After two minutes, he found human scent concentrated in one section of wall, the strength of the smell showed frequent contact.
Junsei drove his fist into the wall.
Wood shattered and behind it a metal door was blasted open. Behind the wall, there was a concealed passage descending downward.
He stepped through and began his descent.
The staircase led into underground corridors reinforced by concrete and metal. He walked forward without haste, orienting himself toward the strongest life signature ahead.
After several turns, two figures appeared.
One wore black leather-like attire. The other was a masked man.
The one in black declared theatrically, "This is as far as you go!"
Junsei recognized him immediately from the memories of AFO.
"You are Twice," Junsei said calmly. "From Tomura's group."
Twice stiffened.
"That's right! We are…"
He paused.
His eyes met Junsei's.
"Hold on," Twice muttered. "Your eyes look familiar…"
Silence stretched for half a second.
Twice recalled the only other person with these glowing cold eyes, fear began to crept into him as he realized who was standing in front of him, soon panic replaced theatrics.
"It's him!" Twice screamed, turning and sprinting down the corridor at full speed. "Save me! You damn Yakuza, save me!"
Junsei narrowed his eyes and pointed at Twice, a bullet of blood shot toward him and the masked man jumped in the way to block it. The bullet struck the man and almost immediately turned into a clay like substance.
Just then, the corridor ahead shifted suddenly.
Walls slid into place, sealing the path.
At the same moment, the wall to Junsei's right exploded outward and a masked man charged through, fist punching straight at Junsei's head.
Junsei sidestepped and counterpunched.
His fist was blocked by a golden barrier that materialized between them, absorbing the blow.
The masked attacker barked, "You didn't need to do that! I was handling him!"
A smaller masked man stepped into view behind him.
"You are the spear," the smaller one said calmly. "I am the shield. It is only natural that I defend you."
Junsei looked between them.
"Is either of you Overhaul?"
"No," the larger man growled. "You will not see the boss. We will end you here."
The smaller one asked. "Why are you attacking us? You don't look like a hero"
"I want information about the red bullets."
"The quirk-removing bullets?" the larger one replied sharply. "So you're after Eri?"
"You're speaking too much," the smaller one warned.
"It's fine," the larger man said. "He won't leave this place alive anyway."
Junsei registered the name.
Eri.
So that was the source.
He moved.
In a single instant, he appeared before the larger masked man and threw a punch with full force.
The golden barrier manifested again.
This time, it shattered.
Junsei's fist crushed through it and impacted the man's chest, caving it inward. The force carried him backward through the very hole he had entered from, lifeless before he struck the ground.
Junsei did not slow.
He pivoted and closed the distance to the smaller one.
The man barely began to react before Junsei's fist struck his head.
The impact ended him instantly.
In less than a second, both were dead.
Junsei did not look at their bodies again.
He turned to the wall that had sealed Twice's path and punched through it, reopening the corridor. Debris scattered as he stepped forward.
After only a few steps, the entire corridor began shaking and changing like waves of sea.
Junsei halted.
He extended his senses again.
A life signature pulsed from within the wall to his left.
Without hesitation, he pivoted and drove his fist into that exact point.
Concrete shattered.
His arm pierced through into flesh.
Blood sprayed from the rupture in the wall.
Junsei withdrew his fist slowly.
The life signature faded immediately.
Someone had possessed a quirk allowing them to merge with and manipulate the structure itself.
That person was now dead and with it the corridor steadied again.
Junsei resumed walking forward.
A few minutes later, Junsei stepped into an open underground hall.
It was wide and reinforced. A group of masked men stood before him, weapons trained toward him.
The man at the front wore a plague-like mask and stood with composed authority.
"According to the League of Villains," he said evenly, "you are the one who killed AFO. Is that true?"
Junsei answered "Yes."
The masked man continued, "Why are you attacking us? You are no hero. We have nothing to do with AFO. I am certain we have never crossed paths before. Yet you barged in and slaughtered my men." His voice hardened."Give me a reason before we kill you."
Junsei studied him.
"You are Overhaul?"
The man nodded once.
Junsei spoke plainly. "I learned of your red bullets. I came here for them."
Overhaul's eyes narrowed behind the mask. "Are you here to stop me as well? Do you fear them? Do you fear losing your power?"
"No," Junsei replied. "I want to understand how they work."
There was a pause.
"You do not intend to stop their creation?" Overhaul asked carefully.
"No," Junsei said again. "Which one of you is Eri?"
A subtle tension moved through the hall.
Overhaul's gaze sharpened. He studied Junsei for several seconds before speaking "Why do you want Eri?"
Junsei answered, "I know Eri is the creator of the bullets."
Overhaul's head tilted slightly.
"She is not the creator," he corrected. "I am."
"Your subordinates implied otherwise."
"You misunderstand," Overhaul said. "I created the drug and the bullets using Eri's quirk. I am the one you are looking for."
Junsei said. "If that is true, how do they work?"
A faint edge entered Overhaul's voice. "You attack my home, kill my men, and expect answers?"
Junsei's eyes remained cold.
"You will tell me," he said evenly, "or I will devour you. Either way, I will learn."
A silence followed.
Overhaul recalled rumors relayed through an associate embedded within the police force. A story whispered in disgust and fear: that AFO had been eaten in front of heroes and police.
He measured Junsei again.
Despite the strong front he was putting, he was not confident in his ability to defeat the person who had ended the underworld's ruler.
Overhaul chose caution.
"Why do you want this knowledge?" he asked carefully. "What do you gain?"
"I want to understand how quirks function," Junsei replied. "And whether they can be erased from all humans."
Overhaul's eyes widened faintly.
Unexpectedly, their goals overlapped. Overhaul saw a rare opportunity.
Overhaul raised a hand, signaling his subordinates to lower their weapons. They hesitated but obeyed.
"Perhaps we need not be enemies," he said slowly. "I intend to end the age of quirks using this drug. We may be able to cooperate."
The men behind him exchanged stunned glances.
Junsei remained unmoved.
"Not interested. Explain how it works."
Overhaul answered carefully "I isolate and refine a portion of Eri's quirk. It is converted into a drug designed to target and dismantle the quirk factor within the body, it removes the quirk permanently. The process is complex and requires multiple stages of preparation. It is time-consuming. At present, I can only produce bullets capable of affecting individuals."
His tone sharpened.
"My ultimate objective is to discover a method to apply it universally to all of humanity."
Junsei considered this.
Junsei asked. "What about the vestige world? Does it get destroyed with the quirk?"
Overhaul frowned slightly. "I do not know what you mean by 'vestige world.' But if it is something related to the quirk, then yes"
"How long until you can create a method that affects all humans?"
"I do not know," Overhaul admitted. "It is not simple. But I am progressing."
Junsei spoke decisively.
"Show me your work. Show me how you create it. If you are truthful, I will leave."
Overhaul exhaled quietly.
"That may prove difficult. Heroes and police are approaching. Thanks to your intrusion, my defenses have collapsed. It is hard to escape as is, let alone if I am staying here to show you."
He met Junsei's gaze directly.
"If you assist us and repel them long enough for my men and me to withdraw, I will show you everything you want. If your aim is to remove quirks, then let us set aside hostility and collaborate for a world without quirks."
Junsei hesitated.
He extended his senses to see if someone was coming near this place.
And he found multiple people gathered beyond the estate walls. One he recognized due to its massive volume of life.
Overhaul was not lying, at least about that.
Junsei did not wish to engage in an open battle with heroes. It would draw attention, escalate conflict, and complicate his movement across cities. Moreover, he didn't want to be with humans again or protect them.
But if Overhaul's research was legitimate, then the possibility existed to strip humans of quirks entirely. To free life and weaken humans at the same time.
Junsei pondered it for a moment then made his decision.
"They are already here," Junsei said. "Take your men and leave. I will stop them."
Relief entered Overhaul's posture.
He inclined his head.
"Despite what you have done," he said, "I hope you survive. I want us to work together"
His voice hardened with conviction.
"So we may rid this world of these damn quirks once and for all."
Overhaul turned and departed with his remaining subordinates, moving swiftly through the underground exits.
Junsei remained where he stood, listening to the approaching presence above.
For now, he would become the obstacle between heroes and the man who might be able to end the quirk age.