POV:Issei Hyoudou
The monster was slow, methodical in the way it pulled at Izuku. That made it all too easy to hear the sound of fabric slowly tearing, the muffled grunts from Izuku as his limbs were pushed past their breaking point.
And the glee in its voice—it was as if it were watching its favorite spectacle.
"You see, kid, I usually go for the suffocation method since it's the fastest and cleanest way I know. But since you thought it was a bright idea to piss me off, I'm giving you a front-row seat to another, more brutal method of mine."
Freeing myself proved to be impossible. No matter how hard I pushed, the sludge just pushed back even harder. Punches, kicks—I even tried scratching it—but nothing I did had any effect. And even when I managed to tear some sludge away, it just regrew seconds later.
"Aw, look at you, trying so hard to save your friend. But really, you only have yourself to blame. If you had just stayed put like a good little boy, I would have stolen your friend's body in no time. While the process would have hurt, it would be a mercy compared to what I'm about to do to him now."
I could see Izuku's uniform about to give, the sound of tearing growing louder with every passing moment. I can't just stand here and watch him get torn apart. But what could I do? The only things I have on me are some spare change and pocket lint.
Despite my best efforts, I felt tears running down my face. I didn't want to give this monster the satisfaction of seeing me cry. But I had nothing left—no plan, no way out, not even a few words of encouragement.
Of course, the monster took this moment to gloat.
"Now, now, what's with the tears, kid? I get it—you're upset. I would be too if I saw my pal getting torn apart. But what did you expect? Your plan was sloppy at best. I mean, what would you have done if I had just decided to run off with your friend's body here? Did you even take a second to think things through?
But, despite what it may seem, I'm not heartless. So let me leave you with some words of wisdom before I snap your neck."
It paused for a moment, as if trying to form the right words in its nonexistent mind. Part of that statement felt like an insult—but literally, this thing didn't have a brain, or at least not one floating in the sludge.
"In this world, only the strong decide what happens. If you want to achieve anything, you'll need true, undisputed strength. Because at the end of the day, weaklings like you are a dime a dozen in today's world."
I didn't want to listen. I wanted to close my eyes and pretend none of this was happening. I wanted to wake up from this nightmare and see my parents' faces. I wanted to hear my mother lecturing me for being late to school or my father grumbling about work while sipping his morning coffee.
But something it said struck a chord with me.
"True, undisputed strength."
At any other time, in any other situation, I would have dismissed those words as the ramblings of a madman taunting his next victim. But in this moment, those words cut deep.
My entire life, I had been content with being the butt of every joke, jab, or sneer thrown my way. I was satisfied with the simple dream that maybe, someday, I could find a nice girl, settle down, and start a family—never having the ambition for anything more. I mean, I always talked a big game, going on and on about being the harem king...
But this monster, whether intentionally or not, helped me realize something.
It was right about one thing: in this world, only the strongest get to decide how their lives turn out.
"I want it. I want it so bad I can almost taste it. The power to defend what I hold most dear. Enough power so I never feel afraid to stand up and fight for my beliefs. The power to decide how my life will be written."
Maybe if I hadn't been so consumed by the feeling of helplessness, I would have noticed the green light emitting from my left arm. Maybe if I hadn't been so blinded by the anger threatening to overflow, I would have seen the spiked red glove beginning to take shape.
Perhaps if I had stepped back and taken a deep breath, I would have noticed the look of shock on the monster's face.
But I didn't. Instead, I focused on myself. I clenched my fist because, in that moment, in those few fleeting seconds, I felt alive. I felt power I never knew I had coursing through my body. I felt like I could take on anyone in a fight—and actually win.
Maybe it was the sudden rush of adrenaline. Or maybe it was the fact that I was going to die either way.
So if I was going to die, I might as well give this son of a bitch a black eye before I go.
I waited for one of its eyes to get within arm's reach. Since I had long since stopped struggling, it let its guard down and drew closer to gloat. That was its biggest mistake, and I was going to make sure it paid for it.
Drawing my fist back was surprisingly easy. Before, it had taken all I had just to move an inch within the sludge, but now it felt like my fist was passing through water.
The monster didn't have time to react. Its gaze was drawn to my left for some reason, but I wasn't about to question this newfound opening.
Slamming my fist into what I assumed was its right eyeball was satisfying—almost as satisfying as the scream it let out when it jerked back. For the first time since this monster appeared I felt like I actually stood a chance.
I never imaged that I would spend today fighting a sludge monster but here we are.
The enjoyment of my small victory was cut short. After the sludge jolted back, it didn't take long for it to recover. Though, on the bright side, it now sported a nasty-looking bruise where my fist had connected.
But the bastard didn't even give me time to smirk. My back once again made sweet contact with the concrete wall—this time leaving a human-shaped indentation.
"Now you've done it, you little shit. I was content to let you watch your friend die before I snapped your neck. But since you've become such a pain in my ass, I'm going to change my plans a little—and send you to the afterlife first."
The monster stopped pulling at Izuku and dropped his almost lifeless body onto the ground. The only reason I was sure he wasn't dead was the slow rise and fall of his chest. For now, it seemed the monster had chosen to forget about him.
"Well, at least he's safe."
The feeling of my throat being squeezed—so hard that I couldn't even think of a proper comparison, just that it was really strong and hurt like hell—snapped me back to reality. A sludge monster was choking the life out of me.
"I want you to know that I'm not enjoying this whatsoever," I managed to croak.
The monster didn't take kindly to my comment. The pressure around my neck somehow increased.
"You think this is funny? I wouldn't be joking around if I were you, kid. Since you're not long for this world, do you really want your last words to be a stupid joke about kinks?"
Black spots began to creep into my vision, and I thought for sure this was it—the end of the line for me. But then, out of nowhere, the monster suddenly stopped. The pressure around my neck even lessened.
It was still hard to breathe, but at least I wasn't about to pass out. Small victories.
Looking up, I saw the monster glancing around in confusion. That confusion was even apparent in its voice.
"Wait… wasn't I doing something before this?" It glanced around for a few more moments before shrugging its jello-like shoulders. "Oh well, I'm sure it wasn't important anyway. Back to what I was doing."
And just like that, my throat was once again in danger of collapsing.
I swear, I was beginning to see my life flash before my eyes when I suddenly heard the sound of metal being flung through the air.
The sludge monster turned its body toward the noise, and in the next moment, I saw its eyes widen with an emotion I never thought it could feel.
Fear. This thing was afraid of whatever made that noise.
Before I could even turn my head to look, I was interrupted by the sound of a very familiar voice.
"Have no fear. You are safe."
The monster let me go, and I slid to the ground on shaky legs.
"Now that I'm here, that is."
Looking to my right, I saw him—a man I thought was only fictional. A man who could only exist in the wildest dreams of some hero-obsessed fanboy.
"Is that… All Might?"
I didn't even get the chance to call out to him because, faster than my eyes could track, a whip-like tendril of sludge shot in his direction. Just before it could make contact, All Might effortlessly ducked under the appendage.
Before the monster had a chance to recover, All Might launched forward. Just when it seemed he was going to tackle the monster head-on, he slammed his left foot onto the ground and began cocking his right fist back.
The sludge seemed panicked by All Might's sudden stance and frantically sent tendrils in his direction. But it was too late. I could see All Might's already massive muscles tightening and expanding, his fist suddenly pulling the surrounding air toward it.
If I didn't know any better, I'd say that looked like a finishing move. And to my now-growing amazement, my guess was right—because All Might began chanting its name.
"TEXAS SMASH!"
It felt like a tornado was sweeping through the tunnel. The sheer force of air rushing past me practically snatched the breath from my lungs. And I'm not trying to be dramatic—it was literally pulling the air from my lungs. I couldn't breathe.
I staggered, clutching at my throat as black spots began to creep into my vision a second time. The ground beneath me seemed to sway, but it wasn't just the lack of oxygen—it was the force of All Might's attack shaking the tunnel itself. The sludge monster screeched, its form rippling violently in the maelstrom.
I collapsed to my knees. My head hit the cold concrete floor, and the chaos faded into muffled echoes. My last thought before unconsciousness took me were simple .
"Damn so thats what a finishing move looks like ,Pretty badass"
A sharp inhale brought me back, my lungs finally filling with blessed, cold air. I coughed violently. Everything ached—my chest, my throat, even my head throbbed ,It felt like I had gotten my ass kicked by the kendo club. My fingers trembled as I pushed myself up onto one elbow, blinking blearily at the towering figure above me.
"All Might?"
Author Note :
There was something i wanted to address in the last chapter but i forgot ,The reason Issei keeps referring to the sludge villain as "IT" or "Monster " is because Issei has never seen anything like him . To Issei this horrifying mass of jello came out of nowhere and started attacking him .
Also i to talk about Issei or rather his mental debate in this chapter and the last ,I really struggled to write in a way to not only be believable but also not try to write him as a completely different character .
Anyways that is all , Please leave a comment below this chapter if you guys are enjoying the way the story is progressing so far.