13 A Deserved Slumber.

{Construction and deconstruction... From what I understood by observing him. You have to be careful with this one. Stay as far away as you can.}

Nigheye's voice, posted in the audience, sounded in their earpieces, his tone of voice showing a slight concern about how the situation was unfolding. Even though neither Rumi nor Felix was struggling, with Rappa around only trying to break their bones, their whole plan became more difficult. The public wouldn't accept a lame outcome, so running away wasn't even an option.

Felix turned towards his three opponents while Rumi was positioning herself to counter Rappa, both surprised that Felix managed to copy the champion moves, something that the current explanation of his quirk given to Rumi and other people wasn't relevant anymore.

But the most remarkable thing was that Rappa was already ready to continue the fight.

"Nothing better than a fight to the death," he exclaimed with excitement. "It's been far too long since I've been hyped like that!"

"Save your breath for later." Rumi grinned as she moved her pupils to Chrono and Overhaul.

Deep down, she knew that taking care of those two was a priority given their quirks and behavior; feigning an attack on Rappa would be the best solution, but the black-haired guy had managed to dodge a large part of the torrent of blows Felix had sent him. Her fighting skills were superior to all other opponents previously standing in the ring, but she still had doubts. The heroine sighed, then let out a broad smile before jumping over a hair-arrow heading towards her.

"How about we take care of these troublemakers first before we finish our fight?" she asked, looking at the big man.

"You want me to team up with you?" Rappa chuckled as he prepared to attack Overhaul, which was beginning to move towards him. "For once... why not."

"Then let Quirkless handle some of the details... even if it's going to seem strange at first."

Rappa narrowly dodged Overhaul, a second arrow faster than the previous one, went in his path but was deflected by Rumi, who slammed it and then went through the cage's metal, almost hitting some of the spectators. Before the hair-arrow retracted, Felix touched the back of Rappa's head and then one of his feet and concentrated as much as possible on his thoughts, knowing that the two people with him would now protect him.

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[Perks Analyser —> Kendo Rappa.]

[STR ▪ 315]

[DEX ▪ 70] — [AGI ▪ 90]

[END ▪ 230] — [RES ▪ 300]

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—So... he is stronger and more resistant than Rumi... But that said, his agility and lack of dexterity would be a problem in a fight against her. If I can manage to hit or touch this shady guy's head, I might know his weak points as well.

After he came to his senses, he gathered up his hormones and did the same with Rappa and Rumi, who immediately felt better. No plan would be of any use with someone like The Rapper at their side; he would just run into his enemies, wielding his fists like a madman.

"Here I go!"

Rumi was the first to jump towards one of their opponents, aiming at the masked one, who simply fled, protected by Overhaul. He was already ready to retaliate as he put his hand on the ground but was forced to move back after Rumi's foot passed right in front of him.

If there was one thing everyone understood, this dude should absolutely not touch the ground or everything would become more laborious. A constant flow of blow was an obligation to prevent him from using his quirk, and given the speed of Rumi and Rappa, it was possible, even more so, with the boosts they were still receiving at the time.

"The one with the arrows only attacks when he doesn't move; if you keep them moving all the time, they have almost no chance," explained Felix as he prepared to attack simultaneously with Rappa.

Rumi bent down and then jumped back to avoid being caught in their offensives. Rappa attacked head-on, either oblivious or too excited to care about the danger he was facing. To prevent him from ending up in a blood puddle, the former inmate cocked his fists, ready to send the same punch barrage as Rappa with his super-hormones and prevent Overhaul from going on the defensive. Dodging one person would be possible, but two in one assault at that speed was too much even for that particular individual.

He first dodged the champion's blows before backing up and brushing the ground with one of his fingers; he barely managed to block the fists of Felix, who smashed his fingers against the small wall he had just created. Bloody phalanges or not, he would continue to attack no matter what.

—Adrenaline comes in handy in this kind of situation...

Using Rumi's super-hormones, he jumped as fast as possible to the second man and used the ring's top ramp to gain speed and crushed his heel on Chrono's temple, which slid to the ground. Rumi, who had already rushed towards Overhaul, took advantage of the opportunity to give a kick in the diaphragm of their poor opponent, who fell to his knees, half-conscious.

However, before she could touch the ground again, a hair arrow ran down to her leg and pierced it, slowing her down significantly despite her natural speed. Overhaul turned towards her immediately, ready to touch her now that she was in an unfavorable condition.

—Shit! He really wasn't knocked out after all that?!

After smashing Chrono's skull to the ground, resulting in small spurts of blood and his hair-arrow's retraction, Felix ran towards Overhaul to prevent him from touching Rumi. Still, the latter finally directed his fingers towards him. The moment his little finger reached the former detainee's forearm, the whole upper part of his arm exploded like some confetti of flesh, but the enemy couldn't continue because of Rappa's relentless punches.

Fortunately, he had managed to send hormones into his opponent's metabolism: cortisol, melatonin, for a significant debuff. Not forgetting a large part of the pleasure hormones he had been storing for several weeks. Given the way this dude was, something like this would destabilize him.

Even though she was still experiencing the slowness and couldn't speak, she seemed worried about Felix, looking at his arm and as she could see all the bones underneath his flesh, and the blood capillaries letting out quite a lot of hemoglobin.

—No time to be afraid... Rappa will just get killed if I don't interfere.

Felix joined the battle using only his right fist, and his legs as the bandages covering his head began to loosen as he tried a few kicks and punches. His goal was simple, but because of his opponent's movements, he could not achieve it. It was too risky.

"You're all just going to end up like bloody messes. Is that what you really want?" Overhaul grumbled, dodging the blows again, but even so, he was already starting to run out of breath.

"It's a funny way to talk for someone who's already starting to lose his shit," Felix replied, trying to get close to him. "But you're holding back, huh..."

"It's all because of you, isn't it? Like I say every day, microbes can be dangerous."

Overhaul was as tempted as he wanted to touch him; the hormones that kept Felix perfectly awake despite the pain gave him enough strength and awareness to use Nigheye's quirk without any problem. Even though unlike last time, his eyes immediately began to redden as soon as he used a lot of it as he was able to concentrate and analyze his opponent's movements. He couldn't see the future as a movie like Nighteye, but he could at least catch a glimpse of the future, like pieces of video, and that was enough for him to know what to do now.

The moment Rappa threw a new deluge of punches towards Overhaul, which he was forced to dodge despite the ring barrier behind him, Felix leaped towards his opponent and attempted a backward kick, the result of which he already knew. His heel crashed to the back of his head, sending him directly into the champion's fists deluge. He couldn't do anything, as the hormones reducing his abilities and increasing his stress only made him weaker, second by second, flooding his brain with too much information for him to understand what was happening. The only protection he had was his mask, and it was bending more and more because of the blows.

The strikes Overhaul received across his entire body echoed through the bunker, the audience gawked at what they had just seen, while the phones filmed and photographed the slightest movement of the people still standing in the ring.

Just before their common opponent fell to the ground, the former inmate managed to touch Overhaul's foot for more than two seconds and touched him on the head in the hope that this would be enough. Even if he didn't know how his quirk worked, the "destruction" part of his power wouldn't be complicated, no need to try to rebuild.

"Here, I'll give you some germs," Felix sneered with a sly smile, touching and visualizing Overhaul's leg in pieces.

When he touched it, he could feel that his fingers were burning, as if he had just passed his fingers over a fire. A second later, his opponent was on the ground with one less leg to grit his teeth.

"...!! How do you...? My quirk... only I and I alone can manage to use it... You're just going to end up self-destructing by using it," he whispered as he held the piece of his leg he had left. He rebuilt it in no time at all and ran headlong towards his teammate lying on the ring-

Unfortunately for Overhaul, a tibia stopped him and blasted him away, expelling all the air from his lungs and propelling him backward. He crashed into the part of the ring that was still standing, just before Felix rushed him and destruct his face, thanks to the champion's super-hormones.

"We're finally done, it seems," sighed Rumi as she turned to Felix to see if everything was all right. "The other guy's quirk pissed me off, having to watch you guys and not being able to do anything... We'll have to take care of your wound, Felix..."

"Yeah, my fault... I thought I was in time, but in the end, I was the one who got harmed..." he stammered; his head had been aching for a while already, but it was getting worse since he had been using a lot of super-hormones at the same time... his tolerance to it seemed much lower than he thought.

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[Super-Hormones Modifier — None.]

[Exceeding Body's Capacities: 215%.]

[Stored Hormones & Pheromones: 13%.]

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For several weeks now, he had been forcing his body and brain to endure an influx of super-hormones that was too great to have no harmful consequences. As a result, his body was overwhelmed, and he was now unable to continue the fight as efficiently as before.

"As if it's over..." Overhaul shouted as he placed his hands on the ground. "A bunch of insects thinking they're bigger than they really are...!"

Before he could do anything else, an alarm buzzed in the vast room, drawing the attention of the entire audience as the doors that allowed people to get out of here closed without anyone being able to do anything about it. The public began to panic but remained surprisingly silent as they looked up at the ceiling... So much so that even Overhaul turned around to see what was going on.

"It's just like last time..." Rumi said, looking carefully around her and directing her ears to detect the slightest sound. "The gas is coming through the pipes."

"HE's doing it again? Ahahah! We haven't even finished our fight!"

"I don't think that's the most important issue, Rappa; we've got to get out of here," she exclaimed, taking Felix with her, who, because of his injuries and the overuse of hormones, was starting to decline. "I... I'm going to take care of you as soon as I can..."

Overhaul, whose now completely shredded mask was dragging on the ground, looked at his three opponents with hatred, closed his eyelids, and gritted his teeth. He wouldn't let go of his target; he had come for one thing... that gnats thinking they were heroes, wanting to save his prey... unacceptable.

If he had to be pushed into a corner, then he would act accordingly.

Without anyone being able to react in time, he placed a hand on his face and on the front of his ally, resulting a moment later in a shower of blood. He took advantage of the fact that the public and the location staff were busy with something else to transgress the rules of the tournament and use gory and heartless stratagems. A black hair-arrow headed towards a weakened Felix and pierced him in the abdomen without giving him time to react, slowing him down in turn before the ground disintegrated and re-formed into a wood and concrete spike.

Rumi had just time to jump out of the ring with Felix and Rappa, as she was almost struggling with Rappa to keep him safe.

"Put me down, woman! All this fuss is getting interesting! Don't take away the pleasure of a fight to the death!"

"Shut up a little... Once dead, you can't fight anymore, is that what you want, you idiot?" the heroine grunted as she heard the gas coming closer through the pipes. "We've got to get out of here before we're forced to sleep."

"I don't give a fuck about that! Put me down!"

"Will you shut the fuck up!" she shouted as she threw him to the ground in the spectators. "We could still win a minute ago, but we can't now, not here."

Rumi, now having to deal with two human dangers, didn't know where to start, and there was no way to attack this guy who had merged with his own ally... Their fusion was weird and at the same time disgusting; a mixture of bodies, their heads and bodies partially attached to each other, as if Overhaul didn't want to completely merge with his partner...

—If he fused with him entirely, it would cause some problems, I suppose. Once he was back to normal... Chrono or whatever, his brain would be reset to zero, and he wouldn't remember anything. And now, because of that, his movements are limited in exchange for more power and resistance.

Mirko's monologue took place at the same time that Rappa, with dislocated shoulders, attempted another attack on her. In the blink of an eye, she pushed the spectators who were close enough to take the champion's blows away from her and jumped with her feet together, ready for a dropkick to counter the impact of Rappa's blows and force him to step back. Several volleys of punch hit her, but she finally delivered a quick, sharp blow directly to the champion's fists. The impact of their confrontation ended in a loud crash that sent the two fighters to the ground; however, Rappa flew across the bunker and ended up embedded in a wall, just next to one of the doors.

With an average of 3 to 4 times more strength in the legs, anyone could counter a punch. Yet, it was Rappa armed with metal gauntlets VS the Rabbit Hero, Mirko, boosted with adrenaline, norepinephrine, and insulin, the champion with his damaged shoulders and lack of agility was more of a burden for the moment, even though he was still conscious.

—I broke my ankle at the same time... And I can't even go all-out because of all these people...

Nullifying several dozen impacts at the same time was impossible, and her bet that she would do it without a hitch was indeed, quite incorrect. She turned her gaze to her acolyte still in stasis; Felix indicated as best as he could with his eyes the danger that was approaching at a great pace. While the public approached the closed doors, a white gas began to come out of the air ducts, alerting everyone that they needed to flee immediately.

Overhaul approached her, his arms pulled forward to disintegrate her; but, a high-density-seal hit his jaw and made him see white for a second, enough time for Rumi to send a 50% power Luna Fall on his skull.

"Now Kurono!" he shouted before his chin was smashed by a Luna Arc kick, which sent him mid-air as his Siamese body split in two again, releasing Chrono.

Just when Rumi thought he was finally done, Chrono, before he had even completely reshaped himself thanks to Overhaul, charged at her, the hair-arrow tracing a straight line in her direction. A first seal then hit her opponent's stomach and then his forehead, making the masked man go backward like a rag doll.

"Let's not dawdle here," ordered a tall man dressed in a pink hoodie and black jogging pants.

"Nigheye...?" Mirko muttered, holding back a laugh.

"Break the door; you should be able to do that, right?" he asked as he turned to the ring, putting his hand in front of his mouth. "I know the name of the person who's organizing this event. After seeing your fights, he's sure to want to take your quirks."

A black veil, like a purple cloud, appeared near Felix, who had returned to normal after Overhaul had freed himself from his ally. His lung pierced, his arm half torn off, and the overheating of his metabolism and his body prevented him from seeing clearly, but he knew one thing, the hand coming out of that black veil right behind him did not mean any good.

He barely managed to react in time using a cocktail of super-hormones again and lifted his foot in a style similar to Luna Arc to deflect the ill-intentioned hand, then leaped back to join Nighteye and Tiger Bunny. They turned around after detecting the anomaly. Seeing that their partner had made it out, they all walked towards the door where most of the audience was congregating in the hope of not ending up like those who were still near the ring, opposite the entrance and exit gates. The gas spread quickly, and a myriad of people fell to the ground, seeing that Rappa was still ready to retaliate by getting closer to them, brandishing his fists despite his wounds. In a considerable effort, Felix sent him a barrage of punch after dodging him and knocked him out once and for all. He took the opportunity to retrieve one of his gloves and carried it to his right arm despite the object's imposing size for a particular purpose. Breaking the doors.

He and Rumi knocked the doors surprisingly solid, with their respective quirks hoping to dig a hole, sending pieces of concrete and wood flying in all directions.

The moment a breach was made, everybody tried to run away, forcing the group to wait for a while before picking up Rappa and heading towards the car waiting for them.

"Tch! It brings back bad memories," Rumi snarled and frowned. "I'll take Rappa with me and take him to the car; I'll pick you up afterward."

"No problem, we'll follow you," Nighteye added, looking at his disciple, who was struggling to breathe because of his pierced lung and blood loss. Mirko leaped at a staggering speed over the walls, floor, and ceiling, carrying Rappa to the bunker's empty corridor before disappearing into the darkness. "We're following them, Felix; there's no time to lose here."

The ex-convict simply nodded and followed the hero, who ran surprisingly fast for someone not suited for battle. The bunker's corridors resembled cells, and each small room on either side was devoid of doors, revealing all kinds of equipment and empty tanks gathering dust.

However, one detail caught his attention, at the other end of the corridor, while everyone was running away, a blond-haired girl, her hair tied in two small messy buns, was staring at him with a little smile and her cheeks flushed.

—This is...?

The same lost and confused aura of the last time, near his home in the dark alley near where he passed every day for his jog. His mind wandered as he fled the place. If it was the same person, what was she doing there? And she was a simple teenager. He was covered in blood, so he didn't really understand she was looking at him like that...

Felix preferred to stop thinking about that and to focus on his escape but stumbled on some junk on the floor before he managed to remain standing with the help of the wall.

"Hang in there, Felix, we're almost there; we'll treat you as soon as we get to the pickup truck."

"I know... but I'm starting to see blurry..." he replied, bombarding his metabolism with hormones just to keep him going a little longer.

—If only I'd worked more on my hormone manipulations in the past rather than changing others'...

That was the last thought of the day for the former inmate who fell to the ground due to the lack of blood and oxygen in his body. The only things he was able to understand afterward was that Rumi, who had just returned, had caught up with him, that they had all managed to get to the pickup truck, and that the vehicle was starting to accelerate.

The roaring engine; the swiftness; the worried tone of Rumi; Iwao Oguro at the wheel of the car, asking why they were all in such an awful state.

The curves of the road, the sound of the rain hitting the roof of the pickup truck. The silence.

And then finally, slumber.