[Location: Underground Vault]
The dust from the collapsed ceiling swirled in the air, coating the battlefield in a grey haze.
Overhaul stood alone.
His mask was cracked. His arm was bleeding from Reiji's sword slash. Facing him were three fresh heroes and the one he had failed to kill.
"It's over, Chisaki," Aizawa stated, his hair floating in a zero-gravity halo. His eyes were wide, bloodshot, and locked onto the villain. "Your quirk is erased. You're just a man."
Reiji stepped forward, the ice on his blade hissing as it evaporated into steam.
"A man who talks too much," Reiji added. "Surrender now, and maybe I won't cut off the other hand."
Overhaul looked at them. He looked at the unconscious Chronostasis. He looked at Nemoto, who was groaning on the floor near the wall.
"Surrender?" Overhaul's voice was muffled, vibrating with suppressed rage. "You think this is a game? You think you can just press 'pause' on my vision?"
He reached into his pocket.
"Don't move!" Kirishima shouted, stepping in front of Eri and the wounded Mirio.
Overhaul didn't pull out a weapon. He pulled out a small red case.
"The world is sick," Overhaul whispered. "Heroes are the fever. Quirks are the plague. And to cure a plague..."
He threw the case at Aizawa.
"Look out!" Reiji warned.
Aizawa didn't blink. He kept his eyes on Overhaul, sidestepping the case.
CRACK.
The case hit the ground and exploded—not with fire, but with smoke. A dense, purple gas filled the space between them.
Aizawa coughed, his eyes watering. For a split second—a single microsecond—he blinked.
[System Warning: Erasure Lifted.]
"That's all I needed," Overhaul's voice echoed from the smoke.
Reiji launched himself forward. "DON'T LET HIM TOUCH ANYTHING!"
But he was too late.
Overhaul didn't touch the ground. He turned and grabbed Nemoto by the face.
"Boss...?" Nemoto wheezed.
"I need you," Overhaul said cold-bloodedly.
SPLAT.
The sound was nauseating. It sounded like wet laundry being torn apart.
Blood sprayed through the smoke. Red light erupted, casting long, monstrous shadows against the walls.
"Reconstruct."
The silhouette in the smoke began to change. It grew taller. Shoulders widened. Two extra arms burst from its back.
Reiji skidded to a halt, raising his sword.
[Boss Battle: Phase 2.][Enemy: Overhaul (Fused Form - Nemoto).]
The smoke cleared.
Chisaki Kai was gone. In his place stood a four-armed monstrosity. His beak mask was now part of his face, fused with flesh. Multiple arms—some black, some pale—protruded from his torso.
"Disgusting," Reiji muttered. "You used your own man as spare parts?"
The monster flexed its four hands.
"He was happy to serve," Overhaul spoke, but another voice—Nemoto's—echoed underneath it. "This is the power... of the cure."
Overhaul slammed all four hands onto the ground.
RUMBLE.
"Get back!" Aizawa shouted.
The entire floor disintegrated.
It wasn't just spikes this time. The ground turned into a rolling wave of concrete spikes, like a mouth of shark teeth snapping shut.
Reiji teleported into the air. Aizawa used his capture weapon to swing from a hanging pipe. Kirishima couldn't dodge. He shielded Eri and Mirio with his body.
CRUNCH.
"GAAAH!" Kirishima screamed as the spikes hammered against his hardened back.
"Unpleasant," Overhaul droned. "Why do you persist?"
He raised two hands toward Aizawa.
"Die, Eraser."
Massive pillars of stone shot out of the walls, chasing Aizawa. The teacher was fast, dodging and weaving, but the sheer volume of attacks was overwhelming. He couldn't get a clear line of sight to erase the quirk again.
"He's suppressing Aizawa!" Reiji realized. "He knows Erasure is the biggest threat."
Reiji looked down at Kirishima. The Red Riot was buckling under the pressure. Mirio was bleeding out.
"I have to draw the aggro," Reiji decided.
[Style: Mortal Kombat.][Character: Goro (Mimic Style - Strength only).]
Reiji dropped from the ceiling, aiming straight for the monster's head.
"HEY, FRANKENSTEIN!"
Reiji swung his sword two-handed.
[Skill: Nether Strike.]
Overhaul looked up. Two of his extra arms shot up to block.
CLANG!
The ice sword collided with Overhaul's hardened skin. The blade chipped.
"Weak," Overhaul scoffed.
His lower set of arms punched Reiji in the stomach.
BAM!
Reiji felt his ribs crack. He was launched across the room, smashing into a wall of spikes.
[Health: 65%.]
Reiji coughed blood, sliding down the wall. "Okay... he hits harder now."
Overhaul didn't let up. He touched the ground again, sending a wave of spikes to impale Reiji.
"Teleport!"
Reiji vanished, reappearing behind Overhaul. He unleashed a flurry of fire-enhanced punches.
Left. Right. Hook. Uppercut.
Overhaul's four arms blocked and parried with impossible speed. The fusion with Nemoto hadn't just given him limbs; it gave him 360-degree awareness.
"I can see you," Nemoto's voice hissed from Overhaul's mouth. "I can see your doubt."
Overhaul grabbed Reiji's throat with one of his spare hands.
"Let me disassemble that quirk of yours," Overhaul whispered.
Reiji's Danger Sense screamed. FATAL ERROR.
If Overhaul used his quirk now, Reiji would be turned into a bloodstain.
"Get off!"
Reiji summoned a Hellfire Burst directly from his chest.
BOOM!
The explosion blew them apart. Overhaul stumbled back, his coat singing. Reiji rolled away, gasping for air.
"This isn't working," Reiji panted, wiping blood from his mask. "He's too tanky. And as long as he controls the environment, we can't get close."
He looked at Aizawa, who was pinned down by debris. He looked at Mirio, who was pale as a ghost. He looked at Eri, crying in Kirishima's arms.
Reiji stood up. His violet aura began to darken.
"System," Reiji thought. "I need an equalizer."
[Suggestion: Synchronization Rate Increase.][Warning: High Risk of 'Carter' Personality Bleed.]
Reiji grinned, his teeth stained with blood.
"I don't care," Reiji snarled. "Unlock the limiters. Let's turn this boss fight into a fatality."
He sheathed his sword. He didn't need steel anymore.
He raised his fists, and for a moment, the shadow behind him didn't look like Noob Saibot.
It looked like a dragon.
"Round Two," Reiji whispered. "And this time... I'm bringing the fire."
End of Chapter 120.
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