-Blast- (Part 5)

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Interlude

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-The Mad Counselor-

Raindrops fell slowly to the ground. They splashed loudly, as they created a curtain of mist in the horizon.

The clouds were dark, and the air was cold.

As the thunder rumbled in the background, a faint figure appeared.

He was walking slowly, the raindrops parting from his body. The golden haze he emitted frightened the rain. Like a God descending from the skies, his figure was as tall as a mountain.

"Blast." I spoke.

"Counselor..." He replied.

He had crimson eyes that gleamed in the shadows. His blonde hair was swept back in a pompadour. The black nano-suit he wore glistened slightly, ripples of red energy flowed through his body. His deep red cape burned ferociously, like a fountain made of blood, it cascaded down his heels.

With gold gauntlets that illuminated the night, he took a step forward. His boots digging through the damp ground.

The rain was cold.

"Do you, want to die?"

His voice was even colder.

"Me? Die? We know that's impossible Blast. If you really want to kill me, it would take a nuke to do so! Hahaha!" My mad laughter pierced the loud rainfall. It reverberated into the ravaged city. In this desolate place, only our voices could be heard even from a mile away.

Clink!

The sound of his gauntlets pressing together echoed. His voice calm and composed, "I pity you, Counselor. You tried so hard to stop me... and what did it bring you? An irreversible mistake. Did you think All For One could shield you from me?"

"All For One? Ha! I don't rely on other people. I only have myself." I replied. My voice rising and falling. "How about you? Do you think the Hero Public Safety Commission could hide your dirty deeds? The truth will come out, sooner than later."

"You don't rely on other people?" A faint smirk appeared on his face. "Then what about your friends? They died on your embrace remember? If I remember correctly, was it Twice? He kept screaming 'Stop! Stop!' while I burn him along with his clones... Do you know what he said to me in his last breath? He said 'The Counselor will make you pay...!' Hahaha!"

Anger rose within me. The grip holding my cane tightened. The thought of rushing at him and smashing his head was all I could think of before I calmed myself. Gritting my teeth, I forced laughter out of my throat.

"Hahaha, Twice? Do you think that crazy fuck is my friend? He was just a tool! Like everybody I worked with! And here I thought you were smart too! Shouldn't tools recognize their own kind?" I taunted him with an annoying smirk on my face.

Blast's face contorted for a second before he spat. "I'm not a tool."

"Sure, you aren't. You're a fucking dog!" I shouted. The wind howled along with my voice. His contorted face broke. A faint smile was plastered on his lips. "Oh, Counselor. No matter how smart you think you are, in the end, you are the villain." His gauntlets growled. White steam was released from their soles. "And I..." Pulling his fists back, He crouched on the ground before releasing all the energy he stored. "AM THE HERO!!!" A huge invisible pillar made of condensed shockwave shot out of his gauntlets.

BOOOOM!

Gritting my teeth, I held my ground. Raising my cane, it rotated slightly before it transformed into a sword. With red lightning coursing through my veins, I sliced the air in the trajectory of the pillar.

"Elasticity, Gentle Rebound." An aerial elastic barrier formed in front of me. Blast's shockwave was absorbed before it was released all around me. The air exploded, along with the rain falling from the sky.

A hush silence befell us as we stared at each other through the elastic barrier.

"Gentle Criminal's... Elasticity? You even stole your subordinate's Quirk? Damn, you really are a piece of shit. Counselor." Blast mocked. I twirled my staff in hand and replied. "He gave it to me willingly. Unlike you who steals innocent civilians Quirks. So much for being a hero."

"It's called donation. They gave it to me for the greater good." He tilted his head sideways, "Anyway, what are you waiting for? Didn't you lure me here to trap me?"

Tap.

My cane touched the slippery road. "Did you bring your little bitch? What was her name again... Bitchko the rabbit?" I smirked. And just as I had expected, an angry yell came from behind him. "The fuck did you just say!? Who's bitch?!" A woman wearing a sleeveless white leotard showed up. Her white hair was drenched, and her leotard stuck to her brown skin. Her scarlet eyes glared at me. "Payback time. Fucker." She bared her teeth at me.

"Ah, Blast's number 1 pet. I heard you always follow him around like a lost puppy. You sure you guys are doing your work properly?" While talking to them, I spread my legs apart. With my right foot forward, I prepared for the incoming attack. I gulped nervously, fearing that my plan wouldn't work.

"Pet? You think I'm this loser's pet!?" She pointed at Blast, who had a permanent smile the moment he arrived. "I only follow him around cause he's so full of shit! If you didn't spread to the media that I lost, then I wouldn't have followed him!" The rabbit hero huffed.

"Did I? Well, if I didn't do that... how will I make the two troublesome heroes stick together?" In an instant, the ground beneath their feet softened. Like quicksand, it swallowed both of them on the ground. "Now!" I yelled. Before the two of them could react, a purple streak pierced through the air. The raindrops were cleaved in half. The purple streak whizzed past Mirko and lodged itself inside Blast's head.

Under the ink black sky, the torrential downpour washed over me. Looking at the depressing clouds gathering about, I grinned.

"Well, isn't that easy? Katsuki Bakugo. Alias: Blast. Quirk: Explosions. Can release nitroglycerin-like sweat from his arms..." I walked leisurely in their direction. My footsteps puttered and kicked up ripples in the puddles. "Weakness: Overconfidence." Looking down, I sneered at the rain-drenched Mirko. Her wet hair covering her expression. "No need to thank me rabbit. You're going to follow him soon after." Raising my hand, an orange glow hummed. A searing heat emanated from my palm, threatening to spill out.

As I was about to burn Mirko's face, a jeering voice behind me made my instincts scream. "Lady Nagant. Have you steep so low for you to work with a criminal." Turning around, my eyes widened. With the purple bullet stuck in his left forehead, Blast's head had a metallic sheen on it. "Surprised?" His crimson eyes narrowed in delight. "What's wrong? Did you shit yourself in fear, Counselor?"

I jumped back. "I-Impossible! I used 'Erasure' on you!" Cold sweat filled my back as I scrambled away. My throat felt clogged, 'This, this isn't how it was supposed to happen!' My heart felt like it was about to burst, under Blast's amused stare, my legs trembled as I try to think of solutions.

"Amazing. Using Softening to trap me on the ground, while making sure I wouldn't escape, you used 'Erasure', and then have Lady Nagant snipe me 3 kilometers away... To think you would get this far just because I went along with your plan. Did you also predicted my decision in playing along? Your title as the smartest Villain is well deserved~." The ground crumbled beneath his feet. Standing up, the same feeling I had when he first appeared came crashing down. Like a mountain pressing on my head, I felt my consciousness slipping away. Biting my tongue I pressed the button on my sleeve, warning Lady Nagant to escape.

"So, you're a cyborg now?" I need to buy time. Just enough so that Lady Nagant could escape. Even if there is a 3-kilometer distance between them, he could skip that in a single blast. "I didn't think you were that driven to stop me."

Blast's eyes widened before he held his stomach and laughed. "Cyborg? Ahaha, you think I'm a cyborg?" The metal sheen on his forehead vanished. His skin returned to normal. "This isn't a Quirk. It's... a martial art of sort."

"I've never heard of martial art that could harden a human's head, to the point that you could block a sniper's bullet," I replied, preparing my escape.

"I know right~? It's called the Color of Arms. It allows me to coat my hand with haki. Pretty cool stuff huh~?" His entire arm, along with his gauntlet, turned black. "Want me to teach you~?"

"Haha..." My hair stood on end. I could feel the danger possessed by that metal arm of his. "I'm the counselor. I'm supposed to be the one doing the teaching."

"Well... If I have the time." Blast's hands closed tightly. His golden gauntlets released a brilliant flare. "I might teach you in the afterlife."

I stood silently.

I can't run away all the time. I have to fight him head-on someday. As long as I activate 'Erasure', he won't be able to use that golden flame of his.

Closing my eyes, my hair floated up. 'Erasure!' "Well, why don't you teach it to me now?" In a split second, both of our fists collided. There was no sound because our legs moved faster than it could catch up to. In the span of half a second, our fists bounced each other back, shockwaves exploded every time our energy clashed together.

Using 'Thought Acceleration' the world seemed to slow down. I dodged Mirko's kick, before sending an energized punch across her face. My hand hardened and I aimed it at Blast's neck. Before I could tear his flesh, his neck turned black. The sound of metal scraping against each other reached my ears.

Every time my attack almost reached him, as if he could see the future, Blast predicted my action and deflected it. 'Did he steal a future vision Quirk? But according to my information, Shigaraki stole it from that hero...'

If this keeps up, then my body might fall apart before I could defeat him. I need to do something about his Color of Arms if I want to end this--

"Uekh!" I spluttered in pain. My throat was clogged by something, an iron taste filled my mouth. "Kahak!" spitting out blood, I glared at the girl who stabbed my throat. "Yaoyorozu..." Her sword appeared out of thin air, even my thought acceleration couldn't pick it up. Glaring at the empty air, Yaoyorozu opened her invisible cloak partially. Her onyx eyes narrowed at me as she threw a bomb at my face. "Fuck!" I roared. Expelling all the excess kinetic energy in my body, the air exploded around me, flinging everyone in my vicinity away.

Breathing heavily, I pulled the blade out of my throat. I noticed that my wound regenerated at a slower pace than normal. 'Did she coat it with something?' Cursing her from the bottom of my heart, I activated my infrared vision. I grabbed my cane and pointed it in her direction. "Even if you're invisible, you can't hide that large bazoongas of yours!" A crystalized bullet formed on my skin before I inserted it in my cane. Pulling the trigger, the crystal bullet flew, it glistened for a brief moment before it exploded.

BOOM!

"Haah... Haaah..." Even with the energizing Quirk, I could feel my body falling apart. Looking around, I noticed Blast missing, and that stupid bunny jumping around. "Fucking hell, why do Villain's have to fight alone?" Before I could use my infrared vision to find them, a bullet tore the arm that was holding my cane. "Huh?" I was surprised. The bullet tore through the sound barrier like it didn't even exist. A couple more bullets raced through the rain, piercing holes in my body. I noticed that the bullets bounced weightlessly on the ground as if the gravity in them were null.

"Uravity..." Glaring at the sky, I used my Vision Enhancement Quirk. There I saw her, floating in the clouds, holding a pink sniper. "Fuck you Blast! You also brought a sniper!"

"Well, it's because you're a pain in the ass. How can I find your main body without you trying to kill me?" Blast appeared behind me, his hand clutching my heart through my chest. "Tell me, Counselor." He furrowed his brows. "Where the fuck are you hiding? You're taking the meaning of Mastermind on another level..."

"Kehuk..." I gave a broad smile. "I learned from the best," I whispered.

With my bloody lips, I kissed Blast's cheek. "See you later, Viktor." Viktor's lips twitched. Using my Quirk 'Weld', I melded my hands on his Shoulders. With a crazed smile, I stared at his helpless face. "Haha, let's continue our game at a later time." Activating my Quirk, red lines emerged from my body. As the dead cells burned out, I could see Viktor's eyes flashing golden. "Hah! You fucking cheater!" I yelled before a huge explosion swallowed us both.

Opening my eyes, I was greeted by a pale girl with lavender hair. Her bluish-lilac pupils widened once she saw me waking up. "Boss! You're back!" She happily pulled me out of the capsule. "I was so scared when Blast suddenly flew over our base, I thought we were almost found!"

Looking around, I could see the state of our base. A few walls were cracked, with some dust falling below, probably the result of me detonating myself. "I'm sorry for the trouble..." I apologized. Although I had to do it so that Blast wouldn't find our base, since I almost killed my subordinates, it was my fault for scaring her. "What of Nagant?" I asked while fixing my black suit.

"She returned safely... Blast chased her all over Mustafu before Kurugiri helped her." She answered while taking her tea set. "Chamomile?" She asked.

I nodded. "How about Sun Eater? Did he succeed?" I asked after taking my seat.

"Well... Ryukyu was tougher than we thought. He only managed to take a few of her scales before he was forced to retreat."

"That's good. We can use the Double Quirk to duplicate it." Smirking, I stared at the monitor screen on the ceiling. The words [Blast severely injured after the S-Class Villain known as Counselor blew apart. Casualties are....] Those tabloids sure are fast. It hasn't even been a few hours since I revived.

"How about Tomura?"

"He still hasn't awakened. Dr. Kyudai said that it would take a few months before he wakes up."

Crossing my fingers, I smiled at the girl. "Saiko... have you taken the artificial tea I prepared for you?"

She thought for a second before replying, "The one made from trigger?"

My smile widened at the thought. 'With her Quirk, IQ, and the tea made out of trigger... I wonder what would happen? Would she lose her reason, or would the drug boost her intelligence to an unimaginable level?' I could only marvel at the thought.

Before I knew it, I was already laughing madly.

"UHAHAHAHAHA! MUWAHAHAHAHA!! I AM THE ULTIMATE MASTERMIND, THE COUNSELOR!!!"

I could feel Saiko's worried gaze but I continued my charade. After all, if I want to defeat the fake hero, I need to be a fake villain.

"Prepare yourself, Blast! Not even the gods could save you now!"

Maybe I should stop taking those Quirk Enhancing drugs.

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Woah, massive spoilers!

Why?

Because I am here!

Is what I was going to say but... It's been a week.

I also need to update Dio's Group Chat.

So... yeah. Cliff hanger. Mystery. Spoiler and what not. I was getting bored at writing fillers so I thought... why am I even writing fillers when I'm just practicing writing? Anyway...

See you next week? Maybe? I think I lost my drive writing this because... I got bored.

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