Chapter 225: Forgive me, Master.

--Saturday, May 30, 2172

[Sage! Let me through! I can help, and you know it!!]

Quickly, Sage heard Chatora’s urgent response, which made her bite her lip in frustration. It was true—if the condition of the web spears was truly to attack anything that wasn’t a spider in the cave, then the appearance of more people would either break that condition or weaken it, preventing all the power from focusing solely on her master.

Although Sage was also aware that the worst-case scenario was still possible. Anyone who entered, without the ability to teleport like her master, would be killed instantly. Letting Chatora in was a very dangerous gamble—one her master would never accept. Therefore, the decision was hers. She could either disobey her master’s orders and let him through or stand by helplessly as her master wore himself down once again until death.

[Go, but keep your Accomplice close and summoned.]

After a few moments that felt like hours—time in which Sage wrestled with herself tirelessly—the fairy sent a message while biting down hard on her lower lip. She felt incredibly dirty and guilty for disobeying her master’s orders for the first time. But the life and well-being of her beloved master were above everything else.

Even if her decision caused him to stop trusting her, to never summon her again, or even to cast her aside, that was a price the fairy was willing to pay with a smile. Her master was all she had and what she loved most—his well-being was what mattered most, above everything.

…

After intercepting another wave of attacks from the spider monsters, Kai sent them flying a few meters, then teleported to a new sword with a serious and contemplative expression. Those monsters, aside from having an impressive defense comparable to his Haki, were also capable of healing from the cuts he managed to land on them. So unless he could gather some power, defeating them seemed impossible.

The moment he appeared in front of a sword about 50 meters away, Kai instantly felt a change. The usual vision of his death did not appear. Instead, the image only showed a single spear, which he could intercept with a flying slash. For some reason, the spears seemed to weaken—both in number, power, and speed.

Puzzled, Kai quickly focused his Observation Haki, which allowed him to sense four familiar voices in the distance, causing his eyes to widen in disbelief. With a voice that conveyed his anger, Kai asked Sage while simultaneously gathering a massive amount of aura and Haki in his swords.

[Why is Chatora here?]

[He insisted, and you need help, Master. They can distract the spears.] Sage replied in a serious tone, though one laced with guilt.

Sage’s response caused Kai’s Conqueror’s Haki to burst out in all directions wildly, shaking the surroundings. Feeling her master’s rage through his Haki, Sage lowered her head in shame and guilt, then sent another message in a sorrowful voice.

[I'm sorry, Master… I'm sorry from the deepest part of my heart… I betrayed your trust, and I know I no longer deserve to be by your side… but please, let me accompany you this one last time. I just want you to return home safe and sound. I’ve already designed a pact that will allow you to destroy my consciousness, leaving Alcatraz behind… Please, just let me be a part of your strength one last time…]

[…]

Sage’s message only made Kai’s Conqueror’s Haki roar with even greater fury, to the point where the air began to swirl violently and the ground shook with intensity. Meanwhile, tears began to gather in Sage’s eyes—her master’s silence was more painful than anything else. She would have preferred him to yell at her, to insult her. That silence spoke only of his deep disappointment, something that shattered her heart into a thousand pieces.

[Forgive me, Master… please… forgive me…]

………

Landing on the ground, Edgeshot suddenly felt as if a mountain had settled on his shoulders, forcing him to kneel as a hurricane-like wind threatened to blow him away and the ground shook violently. With a heavy heart, Edgeshot looked up, where he saw the man in black armor suspended in the air, surrounded by black electric arcs larger than he was.

But the moment the man in black armor was reflected in his eyes, Edgeshot felt he was no longer looking at a man. Somehow, he resembled something closer to a god—a superior being that could only be looked upon with reverence. Yet that perception didn’t come from the overwhelming power he was witnessing. No, it came from something much deeper—an instinctive feeling, a reverence born from the very depths of his being, of his soul.

“Let’s move! We have to lighten Saito-shonen’s burden!”

At that moment, Edgeshot heard the magnetic voice of the Symbol of Peace, snapping him forcefully out of his trance and allowing him to regain his composure. Almost in perfect sync, a barrage of attacks appeared in front of them, ranging from fire blasts to energy beams and even strange webs.

“Tiger, let’s go together. Texas Smash!!!”

All Might declared firmly as he launched a powerful punch forward. Chatora quickly followed, stretching his right arm back before snapping it forward at an absurd speed, delivering a punch at the same time as he shouted with conviction.

“Iron Recoil!!”

The combined blows from Chatora and All Might created a shockwave so brutal that it unleashed a massive cannon-like blast of compressed air straight ahead, obliterating everything in its path. Meanwhile, Edgeshot cast one last apprehensive glance toward the sky, where he caught a fleeting glimpse of the man in black armor—just before he vanished.

Shaking his head, Edgeshot brushed aside any unnecessary thoughts. He quickly activated his Quirk to lengthen his body and shot off after All Might and Chatora, with Kamui Woods close behind them. Whether the man in black armor was a god or a demon mattered little now; he was a pro hero, and as such he had to neutralize the threat posed by the spiders.

…

[Don’t cry, Sage.]

While his Conqueror’s Haki roared in madness, Kai sent a telepathic message thick with anger. But that anger wasn’t directed at his adorable assistant—it was aimed at himself. His weakness had driven his faithful assistant, who held only him in her heart, into a painful crossroads, even as it put his family in danger.

Upon hearing her master, Sage turned to look at him in surprise, her beautiful face stained with tears. But that surprise didn’t come from his words or his anger—it came from the massive shift she could feel in her master's aura. His aura and Haki were fluctuating so rapidly they were practically vibrating, and at the same time, she could feel him overflowing with power.

[In the end, it’s my fault. I’m too weak. If I were strong enough, my family could do whatever they wanted, and you would never have to cry.]

Kai added as he fully focused on his mini-self, forcing the aura around it to merge completely with his own by sheer will, becoming one. Immediately afterward, Kai declared with a voice filled with conviction and rage.

[But that ends today! No one—nothing—makes my Sage cry and lives to tell the tale!!]

With Kai’s declaration, the mini-self suddenly opened its eyes, and the fusion of their auras happened almost instantly, as if they had always been one. But at the same time the mini-self opened its eyes, its expression began to twist—its small smile warped into rage, becoming an almost deranged grin, overflowing with murderous intent.

Feeling stronger than ever, Kai looked at the six-eyed spider monster, which materialized beside him out of nowhere, and swiftly moved his swords like serpents, engaging in direct combat at an absurd speed. But this time, the monster’s strikes felt slower, weaker—and even its “internal destruction” was so faint it couldn’t pierce his armor anymore.

Little by little, cuts began to appear across the monster’s chest, nearly exposing its bones—varying in length and growing in number and depth with each exchange—causing the creature to let out pained shrieks. Meanwhile, the aura script patterns on Kai’s armor began to glow with increasingly intense light, as if they were overloading.

…

While All Might and Chatora unleashed brutal shockwaves with every strike, decimating spiders left and right, Edgeshot moved in his elongated form, piercing through any conscious spider in his path. But in that instant, Edgeshot was sent flying along with Kamui Woods by a violent shockwave.

Stunned, Edgeshot looked toward All Might—only to see him standing with his arms crossed in front of him, blocking a thrust from what appeared to be a black wooden spear. The tip of the spear seemed to have pierced the Symbol of Peace’s flesh, reaching all the way to the bone, contorting the hero’s face in pain.

“Iron Claw Storm!!!!”

At the same time, Edgeshot heard Chatora’s urgent voice, prompting him to turn. The hero was swinging his rubber-like arms at an absurd speed—so fast it almost looked like he had dozens of limbs delivering punches simultaneously. Chatora was attacking what appeared to be a humanoid insect, the one holding the spear that had struck All Might.

With quick thinking, Kamui Woods stretched one of his arms to grab the insect’s legs. Meanwhile, Edgeshot elongated his body, moving at the speed of sound, aiming to pierce through the joints in the monster’s exoskeleton, which appeared to be its weakest points. Meanwhile, Mirko jumped into the air and began to spin to deliver a powerful kick from above.

[Damn intruders!! Filthy flies!!! I’ll—]

But in that instant, a deafening screech echoed through the cave, shaking the very air. Yet, to everyone's surprise, somehow they were able to understand its meaning—leaving them in a state of shock. That shock only deepened when the shriek abruptly stopped, replaced by a calm statement in a voice they all recognized.

“Don’t be impatient. Your turn will come.”

Turning toward the source of the voice, they all stared in disbelief as the man in black armor stood with his right sword driven straight through the head of a strange humanoid monster—with six eyes and spider-like mandibles on its face. In that moment, Kai drew back his sword and pointed at the monster with an open palm—just as a sphere of light, a purple so dark it looked black, began to form in front of him.

The sphere of light soon struck the monster, then expanded until it engulfed it completely—at which point the screech resumed, almost deafening everyone. However, although this time they couldn’t understand the meaning behind the scream, it was clear to all that it carried equal parts terror and rage, with a hint of madness.

In that moment, the ground began to shake violently, as if a magnitude-9 earthquake were hitting the island. At the same time, the metal sphere above the central pyramid began to rise into the air, and the pyramid started to collapse, revealing what was hidden inside.

Within the pyramid was what appeared to be a biological laboratory filled with old, rusted equipment engraved with strange patterns—a bizarre fusion of electronic circuitry and geometric runes. But what truly captured everyone’s attention was a massive black spider, roughly 15 meters tall, suspended inside a giant tank filled with greenish liquid and connected to all kinds of cables.

In front of the tank stood a spider-monster similar to the one with six eyes but much more monstrous. Mainly humanoid, but with six eyes, strange fur, spines in different parts of the body, and other peculiarities that made it look like a chimera.

However, this one appeared more feminine—she had long blonde hair, breasts, and narrow hips. She was also dressed in a burlap-like outfit that Kai recognized as very similar to what the strange tribe had worn the first time he came.

But even stranger, above the tank was the last of the marked spiders still alive—the one with metallic-looking mandibles that Sage had theorized possessed a Quirk for storing genetic material. The spider had its rear submerged in the water, slowly releasing a multicolored liquid. But releasing that liquid seemed to be killing it, as it looked nearly dried out and its “voice” was fading fast.

“Saito!! Go after her! Leave this place to us!!” All Might shouted quickly as he used all his strength to push back the spear of the humanoid insect.

After looking at Chatora and his Accomplice for a few seconds with a deep, thoughtful gaze, Kai teleported to the sword closest to the pyramid. Now just a few meters away from it, Kai couldn’t help but grip his swords tightly, feeling a wave of apprehension—not because of the humanoid monster, but because of the spider in the tank.

Although he hadn’t sensed it before, the moment the pyramid collapsed, the “voice” of the spider suddenly entered his senses, leaving him stunned. That spider, though it appeared to be asleep, possessed an overwhelming power—several times greater than his own. A fully awakened version of it could easily defeat even a prime All Might.

“Conqueror’s Shackles!!”

Summoning the chained sword, Kai quickly called out in a serious tone, aiming to capture the female spider-monster and unleash a full-power Kamehameha to destroy the spider in the tank. But to his disbelief, the female monster somehow appeared behind him and sank her fangs into his neck—without him noticing, and without even a future vision from Sage to warn him.

“MASTER!!!”

Sage’s desperate scream echoed through the area, but it was abruptly cut off as the beautiful fairy vanished into particles of light—along with all the surrounding swords. In the distance, Chatora’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Kai, only to see him in the arms of the female monster. Terror surged through him as he screamed.

“Kai!!!”

Leaping with all his strength, Chatora shot toward Kai, his Accomplice close behind. But in that instant, the humanoid insect dropped its spear and moved at astonishing speed. Appearing in front of Chatora, it delivered a massive blow to his chest, warping his armor and sending him crashing to the ground, creating a massive crater.

“Texas Smash!!!”

Seeing that the monster was about to finish Chatora off, All Might immediately launched a powerful punch with everything he had—but the monster dodged it effortlessly. At the same time, Chatora’s Accomplice grew to double its size, letting out a wild, furious roar.

Soon, Chatora leapt out of the crater with a dark expression, clutching his chest. He had managed to harden his body just in time to avoid more serious damage, but the blow had still hurt him badly, and even his armor had taken significant damage. But none of that mattered to Chatora—all that mattered was Kai’s situation, trapped in the arms of the monster.

………

“Damn invader…”

In the midst of a dark void, Kai saw a young woman, around 25 years old, standing before him, speaking with an almost guttural voice. The young woman had straight blonde hair and reddish eyes, along with a body comparable to Nejire’s—large breasts, a wasp-like waist, and delicate, beautiful facial features. Without a doubt, she was a stunning woman.

“Who are you?” Kai asked, looking around at the surrounding darkness. The young woman stared at Kai with hatred and replied.

“You killed my father… you killed my tribe. I’m going to take everything from you—just like you did to me…”

“If you’re talking about the tribe leader, he was trash. He deserved to die.” Kai replied calmly as he tried to move, realizing he was standing on invisible ground , then added casually.

“As for the tribe, that wasn’t my fault. They were killed by the monster I assume you sent to finish me off.”

“But it was your fault!!! If you had never shown up, I never would’ve had to send it!!!” The young woman shouted, full of rage. “And my father wasn’t trash!!!”

Kai didn’t bother responding to her. Instead, he focused on his Observation Haki—because even though this dark space was strange, it felt eerily similar to the visions he experienced with his mini-self. As for the woman in front of him, he didn’t even consider her a threat—he couldn’t sense the slightest danger from her.

“It’s too late for regrets. I’m going to take everything from you.”

Misinterpreting Kai’s silence, the woman spoke again, filled with hatred. In that moment, a massive number of lions, tigers, and giant spiders appeared out of nowhere and charged at Kai with the intent to devour him. Watching the animals appear with mild curiosity, Kai tried to summon a sword—but to his surprise, the sword appeared in his hand before he even conjured it, as if mere intention was enough.

Even more curious, Kai attempted to summon a hundred swords, which instantly appeared in the sky without him needing to do anything other than will it. Wanting to test the limits, Kai willed a thousand swords… then ten thousand… and so on. By the time he reached ten million, he heard the terrified voice of the woman.

“What… are you?”

Turning to look at her, Kai saw the woman sitting on the 'ground,' staring up at the sky—completely filled with swords—her mouth wide open and her face extremely pale. Strangely, all the animals had vanished, leaving her utterly alone before the literal sea of swords.

“A human, I suppose.” Kai replied casually. “But putting that aside—since you tried to attack me with animals and spiders, I’m guessing the goal of this place is to kill us. So, goodbye.”

“No, wai—”

Kai had casually caused the sea of swords to fall upon the young woman, who tried to speak, but her words were cut off when the first sword struck her chest, followed by all the others. The massive movement of the swords and their collision with the invisible ground caused the strange dark void surrounding them to begin fluctuating violently.

“Sage.”

Curious, Kai called out to his trusty assistant almost out of habit to help him investigate the place. But as he realized that things were appearing simply by willing them, Kai quickly looked to his side, curious to see whether Sage would appear without the need for aura or not.

***

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