Iwao and Kazuho, dressed as Knuckleduster and Pop*Step, walked out of the teleportation portal, their heads snapping around to look at the transformed cave.
Walking ahead of them, Luke let go of the bat attached to his back.
The moment it flew out of the cave, away from their visions, it exploded with a bloody squelch.
"What is this?" Iwao asked, noticing the many white-colored domed buildings on either side of the streams.
"You can call it a hideout," Dr. Blessed replied, stopping. He turned around the faced the two. "Before we go further from this point, let me tell you something about…"
Iwao's eyes suddenly narrowed as Dr. Blessed took out a knife.
Kazuho stepped back toward Iwao's back, a touch of nervousness surfacing on her face.
"Please…" Luke said, creating a Wall of Spirituality around them. "It's necessary for what I am about to tell you."
Then, Luke told Iwao and Kazuho as much as he could about Conformity, Singularity, Quirk Singularity, Quirk Conformity, All For One, and One For All.
Of course, he didn't mention anything related to himself, his Quirk, and Mr. Fool, other than that he was here in the world with a mission.
By the time Luke finished, the Wall of Spirituality had naturally vanished.
Iwao and Kazuho shared a glance, disbelief flashing openly on their faces.
Iwao lit up a cigarette and let out a puff of smoke. "That was a nice story," he remarked. "Blue and Red Spirit Particles… These — two forces you mentioned… Can't really wrap my head around it.
"But I am interested in these Nomus and All For One behind them. Their threat is much more real than a fanatic's rants. No offense."
Luke nodded. "None taken. Once Mr. Fool blesses you two with powers, if you wish for them, then you will find that All For One is nothing but face…"
"A face I would like to punch," Iwao said.
Luke turned around. "Follow me," he said. "If you only believe in hard proofs, then I have four of them."
"Why—" Kazuho stuttered as Dr. Blessed began taking them toward the second-largest building. Somehow, she tried to ignore the dozens of different animal-like sounds coming from the largest one. "Why did you rescue Stain?"
Iwao nodded. "I saw his face," he said, still looking around. "If he is who I think he is, then that guy has several loose nuts…"
Suddenly, the old man stared at Dr. Blessed's back. "Perhaps, that's why you brought him here? Does your Mr. Fool want all the nutcases in this world? Do you think we are broken as well?"
Luke chuckled. "No need to ask what you want to ask in such a roundabout way, Mr. Iwao," he said without looking back. "Yes. Hero Killer Stain is here. He has something that I need — will need. If he needs to be contained, what does it matter where it happens? And…"
Luke stood against the lab's door and looked over his shoulder, staring at the two.
"We all are broken. In one way or another. Am I wrong?"
Kazuho bit her lips, and Iwao squashed the cigarette in his hand.
Chuckling to himself, Luke reached out to open the door.
What happened next was just too fast and too bombastic to even process.
Luke had the Clown Potion activated at this moment, luckily. So, just as he held the door's handle, the scene from inside the lab manifested in his mind involuntarily.
Almost at the exact moment, his Danger Intuition shot through the sky, a feeling of primal chill running down his spine.
Before he could even react, though, a stupendous BOOM rocked the cave.
The lab's door came flying, hit Luke, and sent him flying in an arc to the far end of the cave.
The explosion was so devastating that half the lab burst like a bubble in one direction, sending Iwao and Kazuho rolling in two different directions as well.
Loud thuds rang in all ears as the thing walked out, the dust and debris settling around it.
It was an abomination.
Nothing else could remotely come close to describing it.
The Nomu that Luke had restrained before going out to get Iwao and Kazuho had torn off its limbs, its neck dangling on one side, spraying blood.
It was squirming forward on strands of muscles that kept taking shape of legs, breaking down, and then reforming.
Then there were its eyes — a redness that felt pulling you in…
As Luke brokenly got up and saw it, he knew what he was looking at. "It's you…" He growled in anger, buried vengeance taking over his senses.
On the other side, Iwao and Kazuho stood up as well, their faces crumpling at the abomination's sight.
"I see…" the Nomu said with a sound that felt like hundreds of swords running through flesh. "… You have brought friends with you…"
Iwao looked at the mass of flesh and then at Luke. He remembered how Dr. Blessed had mentioned that Conformity had taken control over a Nomu when these things were supposed to lack intelligence. "Is it… the evil one you talked about?"
"Evil?" The bulbous eyes on the Nomu's dangling head snapped toward Luke. "EVIL? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Every inch of Luke's body was boiling with rage.
Not only him, even Iwao and Kazuho were getting angry, a redness seeping into their eyes.
[SNAP OUT OF IT! IT'S TAKING OVER YOU!!!]
Luke's head jerked at Miss Justice's voice.
For the first time, within the rage, a touch of fear flashed as well.
On the other side, the Nomu, who was laughing like a maniac, suddenly went quiet as it saw Luke regaining his senses. "How? You don't have my Sister's protection… Then how… Hmmm… THAT's… No. No. It can't be… HOW DARE YOU!! TRAITOR!!!"
With a blatant urgency, Luke snapped his fingers.
And, tearing through the Mini-Zoo's roof, a 10 ft tall, humanoid Jaguar came pouncing at the Nomu, brandishing massive claws.
ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
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AN: Original Image of the mutated Nomu under Conformity's Control is available
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