In the middle of the crater, surrounded by the fresh smell of mushrooms, Luke and Iwao's faces were pressed against each other.
Then, the machinery creaked around them, along with the rupturing of tissues, and dust came barging in through the crevices.
Mushroom, who had wrapped its massive transformation around all of them, uncoiled itself and… stared at its Master with its one remaining eye.
The moment Luke's gaze landed on it, his heart sank.
There was a fist-sized hole on its stem, where its right eye had been.
All over its body, tiny electrical sparks were coursing, making it jolt. In the hole itself, the white bio-metallic tissue was bleeding a cyan-colored fluid, organic matter wriggling there as a sign of uncontrolled mutation.
BOOMS and BANGS were ringing in Luke and Iwao's surroundings, but the two men couldn't take their eyes off the cyborg's… non-existent, smiling face.
"What a life…" Mushroom's stuttering, robotic voice carried emotions. "Couldn't… do one task that… I was… created to do…"
Luke's face fell.
First, it was that Tree.
Then, it was that Elephant.
Now, it was… Mushroom-nimi…
Luke had always known that Mushroom would cease to exist beyond the 5-minute Activation Limit of its Super Quirk. So, he had prepared himself for its departure. But this…
… why did it feel like he had created a lifeform just to kill it?!
… why did it feel… inhumane?!
… why did it feel… sad?!
Luke gulped, Iwao letting out a sigh next to him.
"Master…" the cyborg's large arm twitched. "May I know… one thing?"
Dr. Blessed nodded.
"… Why did you name me… Mushroom?"
"…"
What to say now?!
Should he tell him that he wasn't even naming him, just calling out the weird mushroom head it carried on its shoulder?!
Even Iwao stared dead at Luke, as if daring him to say that.
"A Mushroom is like a fruit," Dr. Blessed began. "People often only care about the fruit, not the tree itself, just like how they focus overly on results, not the processes. The same is true for mushrooms. Not many even consider that what they are seeing is not even the real organism. It's the mycelium, the thread-like networks spread through soil and wood. And both mushroom and mycelium are just parts of the Fungus.
"I named you Mushroom because people may see you as nothing but a cyborg — an abomination — something… unnatural. But we know that you are more than that, Mushroom-nimi. We… will always remember you for who you were… A loyal friend…"
A cyan-colored liquid trickled down Mushroom's remaining eye.
"I see…" Mushroom said. "… I thought… you named me… Mushroom… because of my head…"
Luke's jaws pressed tighter behind the mask.
Smiling, Mushroom breathed out its last breath. "Thank you… Master…"
"Oi!" Iwao held Luke's shoulder. "Save it!!"
Luke couldn't do anything but see as the light in Mushroom's eye went out, all the cyan-colored lightning crackling around its body dying along with it.
"Oi!!" Iwao jolted Luke.
Then, a figure came flying and landed right next to them, sending them flying.
BOOOOOOOOOM!!!
…
The huge Spider Drones deployed by the Lockdown Procedure had already taken away the Heroes from the Hero Contingent and the few security guards and staff members, buried under the debris at the battlefield's outskirts.
However, with the sheer destruction that had spread across the Outer Zone, it was hard to tell where the battlefield began and where it ended.
On one side, bleeding like a butchered pig, was Alexander Becking, lying on the ground. Neither could he move, nor did he dare to release the accumulated 10000% weight anymore. Like a humongous tank that had emptied its fuel, he kept grunting, trying to budge, all the while cursing and shouting.
"DON'T LET HIM CUT YOU!" Alex's voice boomed. "HE CAN IMMOBILIZE YOU BY LICKING YOUR BLOOD!! AND THAT EXPLOSION BOY IS WITH ME!!!"
Yes.
That's what had happened to Alex.
To save the Radiant of Explosions, he had reached over to him with his full power, hoping to take down the Villain with one punch.
However, the same punch that had disintegrated Near High End Nomu had only managed to create a hole in Stain's body, ripping apart almost all his organs.
Of course, that attack had come at a cost, letting Alex take the swords in his guts as well. That had come as a great surprise already because, with his weight of 18180 kg, normal swords like Stain's couldn't even nick him.
An even greater surprise, though, was Stain regenerating all his organs and body instantly.
Then, the Villain had licked the blood off his swords, petrifying Alex.
If it hadn't been for the new arrivals, the Radiant of Gravity might have already lost the battle.
Fortunately, it was Christopher Skyline.
Unfortunately, it was Christopher Skyline!
"Haha!" Captain Celebrity's laugh reverberated across the battlefield as he flew out of the crater, dusting off his body. "Thanks for the heads-up, Alex! But leave it to me… Oh, yes. Leave it to… us…"
The number of players on the battlefield had more than doubled in an instant.
On one side, Captain Celebrity was eying a changed Hero Killer Stain, who kept eying the crater behind the Hero from where he had flown out of.
On the other side, Koichi was standing not far from Bakugo, both staring at each other, while keeping an eye on Shigaraki, whose body was twitching as he stood up.
From one crater, Kurogiri was walking out, holding his head, the black mist in his surroundings breaking off with every step.
From another crater, Rikuya was stepping out as well, feeling the broken bones.
And, in the middle of everyone, the dust revealed four figures. Three of them were dressed in white coats, with their faces hidden behind black masks, and the fourth was a prisoner of the Detention Center.
For the first time, The Apostles, The Claws, and The Radiants had come face to face.
As if that wasn't much of a disaster already, as the Spider Drones began surrounding the three groups, Shigaraki finally stood up…
… and his eyes landed on none other than Dr. Blessed, the madness in his red pupils exploding to become a murderous one!
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