Chapter 223: Just get out of here!

--Saturday, May 30, 2172

[Sage, destroy the pyramids and don’t leave a single electric spider alive!] While sending out several flying slashes toward the electric spiders, Kai ordered his trusted assistant in a serious tone.

[On it, master.] Sage replied as she simultaneously pushed her computing power to the limit to identify and eliminate all the electric spiders, launching flying slashes in every direction.

[DAMN YOU ALL!!!!]

At that very moment, the brutal screech echoed once more, but this time with such colossal power that it triggered an earthquake. Simultaneously, the air surged with such force that the spiders were blown away in every direction. Even Kai was sent flying by the hurricane-like wind, which was so violent it prevented him from even kicking the ground to regain his balance.

With a quick thought, Kai created a thread of aura and attached it to one of the walls, using it to gain some stability. But at that moment, the strange screech echoed again, filled with a bizarre mix of pain, madness, and resignation.

[Damn invaders!! You snuck into our lands, killed my father, my tribe, and now you even want to destroy the sacred land!! I won't allow it!! All of you will die today!! Our lands will become your graves!!!!]

Stunned, Kai watched as arcs of electricity began to surge from the central pyramid, then shot out toward every single structure in the area. With a solemn expression, Kai unleashed his electric aura and his Conqueror's Haki with everything he had—a desperate attempt to disrupt the awakening of who-knows-how-many monsters. But to his dismay, 'voices' soon began to appear within his perception, each carrying overwhelming power.

[Summon the Accomplices and run!!!!] Kai sent a message through the mental channel, filled with solemnity and urgency.

...

...

...

As she flew through a tunnel using the repulsors on her armor, Shino bit her lip, full of frustration. She wanted to run to her beloved’s side and fight—or die—with him. But she was so weak that, in the end, all she could do was threaten the man she loved with suicide like some lunatic, and run away so as not to get in his way. Thoughts very similar to those running through Ryuko’s mind, who was flying just a few meters away while touching the wall, wearing an equally dark expression.

[We’re at nine o’clock from your position!] At that moment, everyone received a telepathic message from Tomoko.

Quickly, Ryuko manipulated the earth and created a new tunnel through which they advanced to regroup with the other team. Salem, who was bringing up the rear, killed a few spiders by firing off some lightning bolts—but just as he entered the tunnel, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked into the distance.

“Is something wrong, Salem?”

Ryuko, noticing that the cat had stopped, turned around and asked him while cautiously scanning the surroundings. In response, Salem simply let out a roar. But at that very moment, the tunnel began to shake violently, and a deafening screech—caused by all the spiders screaming in unison—struck their eardrums like a hammer.

Salem quickly surrounded himself with lightning and let out a brutal roar that made the very air tremble. Meanwhile, the heroes had to cover their ears, pained expressions on their faces. But within moments, the helmets on Shino and Ryuko automatically closed and began actively canceling out the noise, giving the heroines a moment of relief.

[Don’t worry about us—move forward!]

Seeing that Ryuko and Shino were starting to recover, Edgeshot quickly sent out a telepathic message as he shot forward in the form of a bandage. At that moment, Ryuko, seeing that Kamui Woods could barely stay on his feet, turned to Salem and ordered in a serious tone.

“Salem! Carry Kamui Woods!”

Thanks to the powerful speakers in her armor, Salem was able to hear Ryuko, so he quickly grabbed Kamui Woods by the neck with his jaws and began running after Shino and Edgeshot. Shortly after, All Might’s group appeared in the distance, with Chatora carrying Mirko. The rabbit hero was in even worse shape than Kamui Woods—after all, her ears weren’t just for show; they were actual rabbit ears, highly sensitive.

[Summon the Accomplices and run!!!!]

Seeing the other group, All Might was about to speak, but at that moment, Kai’s voice echoed in everyone’s minds—filled with urgency and near panic, something they had never heard from the young man before. Upon hearing Kai, the Pussycats summoned their Accomplices, their hearts tightening with anxiety. Just then, All Might’s urgent voice rang out in everyone’s minds.

[What’s happening, Saito-shonen?!]

[Just get out of here!!!!] Kai 'shouted' back, visibly angry.

Though surprised by the response, All Might instantly knew the situation was dire. Looking at the panthers of various colors—matching the Pussycats’ hair—he quickly gave a serious order without even bothering to ask how they had suddenly appeared.

“If those are the ‘Accomplices,’ then let’s move. Something serious must’ve happened!”

“I’m staying.” At that moment, Shino declared with a voice full of resolve, as if accepting her fate. She added. “Saito must’ve prepared something for us with the Accomplices. Someone take mine.”

“Don’t stay behind and get in the way! What, do you want Kai to get distracted saving you and end up getting killed?!” With an unusually angry expression, Tomoko glared at Shino and shouted.

Hearing the scolding, Shino’s eyes widened in disbelief, and she turned to look at Tomoko. Just then, All Might let out his iconic laugh—a sound that, almost by instinct, calmed the heroes present. For decades, hearing that laugh meant everything was going to be okay, something etched deeply into the bones of the heroes gathered there.

“We’re a team! Let’s try to assess the situation and figure out how we can support Saito-shonen!”

“All Might is right. The first thing we need to do is analyze what’s going on. Let’s not waste time.” Chatora quickly stated in a serious tone, staring directly at Shino. The heroine in red armor nodded and replied in an apologetic tone.

“You’re right, I rushed. My apologies. Get on the Accomplices—they’re pretty fast. We can fly.”

“What strange creatures…”

Mirko, who had recovered enough to jump down from Chatora’s hold, commented in a somewhat subdued voice and quickly mounted the turquoise-green panther. With some hesitation, Ryukyu, Edgeshot, and Kamui Woods each got on an Accomplice. At that moment, All Might gave a firm command.

“For now, let’s head back to the crater! That’s the last place we saw Saito-shonen, and it’s a good place to start.”

“I’ll open a straight tunnel.” Ryuko quickly added as she placed her hands on the ground. Once the tunnel opened, All Might shouted with energy and heroic spirit.

“Let’s go—it’s time to go PLUS ULTRA!!”

“““PLUS ULTRA!!!””

Shouting in unison the iconic cry of Japanese heroes, the group shot forward at an astounding speed through the freshly created tunnel. The speed of the Accomplices greatly surprised All Might, while at the same time, a seed of doubt was planted in his mind—wondering just what else the enigmatic blue-eyed young man was hiding.

………

[Sage, try to destroy as many of the eggs as you can!!]

Kai commanded with urgency as he sensed at least a hundred new 'voices' suddenly appear—ranging in power from the current level of the Pussycats all the way to the present All Might. These new presences appeared alongside the two original ones, which also 'reignited' with power just slightly below his own. The beautiful fairy quickly responded, two black Jian swords suited to her size appearing in her hands.

[Prepare yourself, Master. The energy consumption will be extremely high!]

[Don’t worry about anything. Just attack!] Kai gave the order while using one of the swords orbiting around him to get close to the ultra-powerful eggs.

Upon arrival, Kai was blown away by the hurricane-like winds that filled the area. But being prepared, he was still able to make his move. Focusing every ounce of Haki and aura he could muster, Kai hurled his swords—propelled by both his raw strength and improvised magnetic fields. At the same time, the blue-eyed boy shouted with all his might.

“RAILGUN BLAST!!!”

The swords shot forward like twin beams of dark purple light, piercing through the rain of Sage’s attacks and arriving almost instantly in front of the eggs. Just before they made contact, a strange yellow light emerged from the eggs—but when the blades' dark lightning struck it, the light scattered violently, weakened significantly.

With nothing left to stop them, the swords tore straight through the eggs with such force that everything in the surrounding area was blown to pieces, triggering a powerful tremor that shook the entire cave. At the same time, an explosion erupted from within the swords, expanding outward like a plasma sphere—turning everything it touched to ash.

[You damn murderer!!!!]

At that moment, an even more brutal screech echoed throughout the cave, and the wind it generated was even worse than before. But this time, Kai stood firmly with his feet planted on the ground, so he didn’t get blown away—instead, a smile formed on his face. The ‘voices’ from the eggs had completely vanished, and Sage was now rapidly eliminating the new ‘voices.’ But his smile didn’t last long.

[It’s all your fault; you forced me!! End it all, my babies!!!!]

The screech rang out again, and from within the central pyramid—which, even under Sage’s rain of attacks, remained standing with only minor damage—two figures, each barely two meters tall, soon came flying out. In that instant, Kai’s smile turned into a solemn expression; the ‘voices’ of those two figures were every bit as menacing as the male Drider’s.

Upon seeing the figures, Kai gripped his swords tightly—but before he could launch his first attack, the two figures suddenly materialized in front of him and struck simultaneously with what appeared to be spears. Using his swords, Kai barely managed to defend himself as the ground beneath him exploded into a thousand pieces. Just then, All Might’s voice echoed in Kai’s mind.

[What’s happening, Saito-shonen?!]

Along with the question, Kai sensed three more small figures emerging from the pyramid—each also around two meters tall. Though weaker than the first two, their power still surpassed that of the current All Might. Activating his powers to the maximum and letting his Conqueror’s Haki roar wildly as it merged with his aura, Kai responded with fury while forcing the figures to retreat.

[Just get out of here!!!!]

………

After a few seconds, the group of heroes finally reached the end of the tunnel, returning once more to the crater where they had previously split up. Since the smoke had mostly dissipated, the heroes were now able to clearly see the true extent of the crater—and what they saw left them stunned. The crater was at least the size of a 50,000-seat stadium and stretched all the way up to the surface.

That massive opening allowed them to see something that left them even more incredulous. The sky no longer showed the sunny day they had seen upon arrival. Instead, it now looked like a cloudy night—without moon or stars. At that moment, Edgeshot spoke in a thoughtful tone.

“Is the invisible web still there? Ever since we entered the tunnels, Saito stopped sharing the mental image that showed it.”

“That’s true! Our perceptions were blocked inside the tunnels, so we have no idea what happened outside!!” Tomoko added with a curious and energetic voice. Ryukyu, staring at the sky, spoke seriously.

“I’ll fly up there. We need to know if it’s still there.”

“Let me do it.”

Chatora said in a serious tone as he lifted slightly into the air with the help of his armor. Ryukyu jumped off the Accomplice she was riding, landing at the bottom of the crater before ascending into the air in her dragon form. At that moment, the dragon hero spoke in a firm voice.

“Last time, only All Might and I were able to stay conscious after touching the webs. In our current situation, we can’t afford to lose anyone.”

With a powerful flap of her wings, Ryukyu shot toward the sky and soon managed to see the surface again. The others, watching from the tunnel, widened their eyes in surprise. The webs were gone. At that moment, Kamui Woods couldn’t help but comment quietly.

“Now we can escape…”

Kamui Woods’ comment earned him a couple of sharp looks from Shino and Ryuko, making the hero slightly embarrassed. Just then, Ryukyu’s voice echoed through the area, sounding a bit strained.

“The webs are still there—I could feel them. But now they’re much weaker. Only about 20 or 30% of the damage I felt the first time.”

“So they’ve only weakened.” Edgeshot commented in a thoughtful tone. Meanwhile, All Might looked up at Ryukyu in the sky, then turned his gaze to the tunnels, and spoke in a serious voice.

“We’ll split up. Those best suited for combat will follow me to search for the tunnel Saito-shonen went through. The rest will head to the surface and assess the situation up there—and how feasible it is to retreat.”

“Last time, I collapsed just by touching the web.” Edgeshot quickly added with a serious tone. “It’s better if I take the tunnel.”

“No way I’m letting you hog all the fun, All Might.” Mirko replied with a predatory smile on her face.

“I’d like to go too, but my husband told me to stay out of it. So I’m heading to the surface!” Tomoko added with a grin. “By the way, the Accomplices can’t go too far from us!”

“I’ll go into the tunnel.” Chatora stepped forward and spoke in a firm voice.

“I’m not particularly good in combat. But I don’t think I’d be much help up top either, so I’ll go into the tunnel,” Kamui Woods said in a calm tone. At that moment, Shino let out a small sigh and spoke seriously.

“I’m not specialized in direct combat, so I’ll head to the surface.”

Meanwhile, Ryuko bit her lip in hesitation. On one hand, she wanted to help the man she loved—but on the other, there was what Tomoko had said, which had struck her deeply. All Might, seeing the uncertainty on Ryuko’s face, quickly spoke up in a serious tone.

“Pixie-Bob. It’s better if you go up. In case of an emergency, you can create tunnels to the surface for us, so it’s best that you stay safe.”

“…You’re right. I’ll go up.”

After letting out a small sigh, Ryuko replied with a serious tone, then tapped the buckle of her armor belt a couple of times, causing it to release. Offering the belt to All Might, Ryuko spoke in a solemn voice.

“This belt contains some very powerful bombs that Chatora can detonate. Use them only in case of an emergency.”

All Might took the belt and handed it to Chatora, then spoke seriously as he looked Ryuko directly in the eyes, wanting to convey that he would do everything in his power to rescue Kai if he was in danger.

“Thank you. We’ll do the best we can.”

“I’m going to recover a bit up here. If I go back down right away, I’ll be too hurt to fight.” Ryukyu’s draconic voice echoed through the area. All Might quickly nodded, then gave the order.

“Perfect—let’s move out!”

“Let’s go, hahaha!”

With All Might’s command, Mirko immediately jumped off the Accomplice she was on, laughing with an almost maniacal grin, then started sprinting full speed along the sloped walls of the crater, aiming to reach the other side. Behind her, All Might launched himself with a powerful leap, and Edgeshot followed in the form of a bandage. Meanwhile, Kamui Woods extended his arms to use them like vines.

“Let’s head up.”

At that moment, Shino activated her [Vital Reactor] at full power and spoke in a heavy tone before rising into the air. Her Accomplice followed her, kicking through the air in a way similar to how Kai did. Behind her, Tomoko also lifted off, and Salem leapt onto the wall, then began running upward surrounded by lightning.

Although the powerful Salem was a bit displeased that those weaklings hadn’t considered him when making decisions, that didn’t change what he had to do. In his master’s absence, it was his duty—as the number one follower—to protect the females. Those unappetizing eight-legged prey were far too dangerous for the weak females. If he didn’t look after them, one of them might end up in a monster’s stomach.

…

After just a few seconds, Shino felt herself pass through a strange, uncomfortable barrier—similar to entering an air-conditioned room during summer, but far more intense. So much so that her stomach churned violently, and her muscles tensed up involuntarily, causing her great pain. After a few moments, the strange sensation finally faded, and she reached the surface.

There, Shino once again saw the completely devastated landscape of the island. But unlike before, the spiders were behaving oddly—some were running around aimlessly, others were attacking each other to the death, and some even jumped into the water in an attempt to flee. Upon seeing the situation, Shino quickly spoke in a serious tone.

“I’ll create a separate mental channel just for us.” Turning to look at Tomoko, who was flying not far from her, Shino continued via telepathic message.

[Ragdoll, identify the spiders most likely to break through the storm and share the mental image through the new channel. We have to take them out.]

“Understood!” Tomoko replied energetically and soon activated her Quirk at full power while also sharing the mental image.

***

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