[Location: Underground Isolation Room]
"We make our own door."
Reiji gripped the hilt of the Netherrealm Sword. The blade, forged from shadows and ice, pulsed with a hungry, violet light.
Kirishima braced himself against the wall. Aizawa tightened his scarf, stepping back.
"Do it," Aizawa commanded.
Reiji raised the sword high. He didn't slash the wall. He slashed the floor.
[Skill: Dimensional Cut.]
SHING.
A crescent of dark energy tore through the reinforced concrete like it was wet paper. The ground beneath them groaned, cracked, and then collapsed into the abyss below.
"JUMP!"
The three of them plunged into the dust cloud, racing against gravity to reach the floor below.
[Location: Two Floors Down – The Vault]
Use the quirk. Don't use the quirk. Phase. Solidify. Phase. Solidify.
Mirio Togata was moving faster than thought.
To Chisaki Kai (Overhaul), it looked like he was fighting a ghost. Every time he reconstructed the floor into deadly spikes, Mirio simply slipped through them. Every time he tried to touch Mirio to disassemble him, his hand passed through the hero's chest.
POW!
Mirio's fist solidified inside Overhaul's face guard, cracking the beak.
"GAH!"
Overhaul stumbled back, blood dripping from his nose.
"You're strong!" Mirio shouted, sinking into the floor and popping up behind Overhaul like a whack-a-mole. "But you're too slow! I'm going to apprehend you right now!"
BAM!
Another punch to the ribs. Overhaul wheezed, falling to one knee.
Behind him, his assistant Chronostasis lay unconscious, knocked out seconds ago by a swift kick to the temple.
"Dammit..." Overhaul hissed, touching the ground to create a wall of spikes. "You're like a glitch in the system. Lemillion..."
Mirio landed, putting himself between the villain and the trembling Eri.
"It's over, Chisaki!" Mirio declared, his cape fluttering. "Give up!"
Overhaul glared at him. His eyes darted to the side.
"Nemoto."
From the shadows, a fallen Yakuza member—Nemoto Shin—raised a gun. He wasn't aiming at Mirio. He was aiming at Eri.
"I won't let you take the boss's hope!" Nemoto screamed.
Mirio's eyes widened. He prepared to lunge. He would phase through the distance, tackle Nemoto, and—
Wait.
A memory flashed in Mirio's mind. A warning given in a cold, sleek office by a student with dead eyes.
"They have bullets that can erase quirks. Permanently. If you see a gun... assume it's the end of your career."
Reiji's voice.
Mirio hesitated for a fraction of a second.
If he phased toward Nemoto, he would be solid when he landed. If Nemoto shifted aim...
BANG.
Nemoto fired.
He didn't shoot Eri. He flicked his wrist at the last micro-second, aiming directly at Mirio's chest.
"DIE!"
Time seemed to slow.
The red bullet spun through the air.
In the original timeline, Mirio would have taken the hit to ensure Eri's safety, losing his power forever.
But Reiji's warning rang like a siren in his skull.
Erase quirks. Permanently.
Mirio's instinct screamed. Dodge!
He activated Permeation.
WHOOSH.
The bullet passed harmlessly through Mirio's chest, hitting the wall behind him.
"He phased?!" Nemoto gasped.
Mirio solidified instantly, relief flooding his system. He had kept his quirk! He was still invincible!
"I can still fight!" Mirio thought, preparing to knock Nemoto out.
But he had forgotten one thing.
Overhaul was watching.
And Overhaul was a genius at deconstructing things.
"You hesitated," Overhaul whispered.
Because Mirio had focused on dodging the bullet, his rhythm had broken. He was solid. And his feet were on the ground.
Overhaul slammed his palm onto the concrete.
"Disassemble."
CRACK-BOOM!
The floor didn't just spike up. It exploded.
A massive stalagmite of concrete, razor-sharp and moving at the speed of a piston, shot up directly under Mirio.
Mirio tried to reactivate his quirk. But the human reaction time has limits.
SHUNK.
The sound was wet and terrible.
"GAAAAH!"
Mirio screamed.
The spike had pierced his right thigh, shattering the femur and tearing through muscle, pinning him to the spot. Blood erupted, staining his white costume crimson.
"Lemillion!" Eri shrieked.
Mirio fell back, clutching his destroyed leg. He tried to phase to free himself, but the pain was blinding, breaking his concentration. He flickered—solid, intangible, solid—unable to maintain the state.
Overhaul stood up, dusting off his jacket.
"You prioritized your quirk," Overhaul said coldly, walking toward the fallen hero. "A logical choice. But logic makes you predictable."
He stood over Mirio.
Mirio looked up, sweat and tears mixing on his face. He tried to punch, but he couldn't generate power without his legs.
"I... I can still..." Mirio wheezed.
"No," Overhaul said. "You can't."
He raised his hand. His glove was off.
"You are broken. Let me fix you."
Overhaul reached down to touch Mirio's face. To kill him.
Mirio squeezed his eyes shut. 'I'm sorry, Sir. I'm sorry, Eri.'
BOOM!
The ceiling directly above them disintegrated.
A figure wrapped in violet lightning and black shadows crashed down like a meteor.
Overhaul looked up—too late.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
Reiji landed between Overhaul and Mirio. He didn't punch Overhaul. He slashed downward with the ice sword.
SLASH.
Overhaul jerked his hand back, but not fast enough. A deep gash opened on his forearm, forcing him to retreat.
Reiji stood tall, his sword dripping with frost, his eyes glowing with murderous intent.
Behind him, Aizawa landed, his hair already floating, erasing Overhaul's quirk instantly.
Kirishima crashed down last, hardening his skin to shield Eri.
Reiji looked back at Mirio. He saw the spike through the leg. He saw the blood. But he also saw the spark of Permeation still flickering.
"You kept your quirk," Reiji said, his voice low.
Mirio gritted his teeth, forcing a painful smile. "Yeah... thanks to your advice. But... I think I lost the race."
Reiji turned back to Overhaul.
"No," Reiji growled, raising his sword. "You just tagged in the anchor."
[Party Update: Mirio Togata (Incapacitated).][New Objective: SURVIVE Overhaul.]
Overhaul glared at the new arrivals. His quirk was erased. His plan was ruined.
"More germs," Overhaul sighed, the ground trembling as the structure of the entire base began to groan. "Fine. If you want to die together... I'll bury you all."
End of Chapter 119.
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