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Eri was cradled in the arms of Overhaul's subordinate, looking at them with wide eyes so filled with hope.
"Eri, we're here to save you, just like we promised!" Aeri laughed, dodging bullets as if it were second nature. She teleported forward and snatched the little girl from the villain's arms just as Mirio sent a kick to Overhaul's face.
The subordinate, Chronostasis, growled and began to attack, pulling out a pistol that Aeri assumed was filled with the quirk-destroying bullets that Amajiki had been hit with. Whether they were stronger now and more likely to strip away their quirks completely, they didn't know, so they couldn't risk being hit.
"Lemillion!" Aeri called as she ran in zigzagged lines to avoid getting shot, she cradled Eri to her chest and instructed her to close her eyes. Mirio looked over and sprinted straight for them. "Take Eri, I can't do anything if my hands aren't available. I'm gonna take out the gunman and then the others should be here in a few minutes to help take down Chisaki."
Mirio nodded, out of breath from all the running he had to do to avoid the bullets. He took Eri gently and ran for a nearby rock surface to keep her safe and shielded.
Aeri pulled her broadsword free and began teleporting around the opening so fast that Chrono couldn't keep up with her fast enough to shoot at her. She used the steel blade of her sword to block the ones that would've hit her and formed two shurikens in her free hand. She waited until he had to reload and then struck, sending the shurikens soaring towards Chrono's hands. She watched with a wolffish smile as the stars cut clean through both of his trigger fingers.
Chrono dropped the gun with a scream, his two fingers falling with it. She ran forward, not giving him the chance to collect himself before she attacked again. Aeri sliced at Chrono's legs with her golden broadsword, dodging his pathetic attempts to attack her whilst also keeping an eye on Overhaul who was mumbling to himself and pacing with what looked like hives breaking out on his skin.
Aeri dropped to the floor and swept Chrono's bleeding legs out from under him, causing him to drop onto his back, still trying to stop the blood from spitting out of the stumps where his pointer fingers used to be. She dealt the final blow, knocking the heavy golden hilt of her sword into the side of his head just as Overhaul started yelling out in rage.
He turned to her, seething, and the anger only amplified when he saw his unconscious right-hand man under her. Aeri swore and teleported back to where Mirio and Eri were hidden.
"Chronostasis has been disabled—"
she didn't get to finish when there was another angered scream, and then spikes began shooting up from the ground. Overhaul was using his quirk.
"Eri, I know you're still here! If you come back to me, I won't kill the heroes!" Chisaki yelled and Eri whimpered. She tried to fight her way out of Mirio's grasp but he held her firmly to him.
"No, Eri. We're not letting you go back to him. We promised to save you so we will," Mirio placed her on the floor beside him and removed his cape, wrapping it around her shoulders. "We will be your heroes, Eri."
"We'll get you out, you just need to believe in us, okay? Some more heroes will be arriving in a few minutes so you just sit tight and stay hidden okay?" Aeri added. She wiped away the tear that slipped down the little girl's face and stood with a reassuring smile. Mirio followed and nodded to Aeri before they both sprinted for Overhaul.
They failed to notice the Yakuza member that crawled through the hallway, but Overhaul didn't.
"Shin! Shoot them!" He growled out a command. Shin obliged and Aeri readied herself to deflect the bullet.
But he didn't shoot at them, he shot at Eri.
Mirio dove in front of the bullet and Aeri teleported towards the two of them, slapping her palms onto their backs and teleporting them out of the way of the gunman.
She was too late.
The bullet had already grazed Mirio.
Aeri bit back a scream as they rematerialised. One of the rock spikes buried itself in the side of her calf, but she pulled her leg free without alerting Eri, who was no doubt already feeling guilty. She glanced down and almost gagged when she saw bone through the gaping wound, but she angled her leg so they wouldn't see and turned her attention to Mirio's bullet wound.
"Are you okay? Is your quirk still there?" Aeri questioned, pressing her hand to the wound on his shoulder.
Mirio shook his head but plastered a shaky smile on his face. "It's okay! Suneater was grazed and his quirk came back, mine probably will too!" He said optimistically, though Aeri knew he didn't really believe it, he was just trying to make Eri feel better.
"Stay here. I'll do the rest," Aeri said. She sheathed her broadsword and switched to the lighter katanas strapped to her back.
"No, you're my junior and you've got exposed bone, I'm not gonna leave you to do all the work. I can fight even without my quirk." Mirio replied firmly. Aeri reluctantly nodded, not knowing how he knew about her wound when she made such an effort to hide it, and ran towards the gunman, tackling him to the ground and throwing the gun a safe distance away. She slammed Shin's head into the ground and locked her pair of quirk cuffs around his wrists.
Mirio was already halfway to Overhaul when she looked up, dodging the sprouting spikes of rock that threatened to impale them with each step they took. Aeri ignored the splitting pain in her calf that made her whole leg throb and stood with her katanas still in hand. She teleported in front of Overhaul and aimed for his shoulders with her sword, wanting to hit somewhere that would instantly weaken him without hitting any vital organs.
Overhaul didn't even hesitate to grab the blade with his bare hands, the sharp edges digging into his palm. Aeri dodged a punch to her stomach and twisted the sword in her hand so that the blade would cut him further and he'd be forced to let go. He did so with a yell and stumbled backwards, right into Mirio's awaiting kick. The blonde's foot slammed into the side of Overhaul's face.
"Lemillion! Wraith!" Sir Nighteye yelled as he, Jinyoung and Deku stumbled around the corner, already bloodied up. There must have been another incident after Aeri and Mirio made a run for Eri, which would explain why it took so long for them to get here.
"Get to Eri!" Aeri and Mirio shouted in unison, dodging the onslaught of attacks. Mirio barked out a cry of pain when one of the growing rock spears shot up and pierced his side and Aeri her katana to block the attack Overhaul sent to her comrade's neck, slicing through the artery in Overhaul's wrist.
"Why isn't she doing the thing?" Deku asked, rushing over to Eri along with Jinyoung whilst Nighteye ran to assist Aeri and Mirio.
"Dalnim won't appear here you fool. There are no windows or any way for her to even see Aeri right now since we're in an enclosed space." Jinyoung hissed. Deku probably didn't mean anything by it, but Jinyoung was very defensive when it came to his sister, especially in tense situations.
Deku blanched and scooped Eri into his arms. He was about to make a run for it with the little girl just as planned when Aeri and Mirio yelled out in surprise. Overhaul was powering up, seeming to take on a second, more powerful form.
Aeri grabbed Mirio and teleported him over to Deku. "Take him with you," she said. "He's bleeding too much. If he continues to fight, he'll pass out."
Mirio tried to resist, claiming he could fight, but with the speed the blood was dripping out of his side and the way his eyes were starting to dim, anyone could tell he was grievously injured. Deku nodded and Aeri helped him grab ahold of Mirio securely before she turned to help her brother and Nighteye who were on the defensive against Overhaul.
She limped a few steps before teleporting, nausea starting to creep up on her after teleporting so many times today. She pushed the feeling down and tightened her grip on her bloodied katanas, aiming for the extra limbs Overhaul had suddenly sprouted, only to cut through thin air when the arms suddenly ceased to exist. Aeri's head snapped to behind her and she felt relieved when she saw her dad at the entrance, using his quirk to erase Overhaul's. The man—Shin—who she put in cuffs earlier, rolled to the ground by Overhaul's feet and Aeri suddenly understood how he seemed to grow extra limbs.
She gasped and lunged when she saw Chrono had awoken, pale but not completely out of commission. He aimed a hit at her dad, but Aeri got there first. She stabbed her katanas clean through his biceps and then braced her good leg against his chest as she used both the strength in her arms and her legs to pull her blades free. Chrono dropped back down to the floor with a strangled scream.
"Nighteye!" Jinyoung shouted out in warning and Aeri turned just in time to see Overhaul slam a powered-up fist into Sir Nighteye's chest, sending him flying backwards into the pit of stone spikes. Neither Aeri, Jinyoung or Aizawa could get there in time to pull him to safety, though they all reached for him.
Having heard the yells, Deku ran back into the cave after sending Mirio and Eri to safety. He gaped at the sight of his superior being impaled on the thick stone spike and rushed forward, his green lightning encasing him as he charged for Overhaul.
Jinyoung grunted as he deflected a hit, relentlessly tossing out shurikens in Overhaul's direction even as his palms began to bleed. Overhaul swiped them away as easily as he would swat away a fly that was buzzing around near him. Jinyoung didn't see the second arm that came at him from his blind spot and he dodged too late.
He cried out in pain as his arm was sliced clean off his body.
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