The moment Kurogiri's dark, misty form appeared in front of us, I moved without thinking. My instincts kicked in, honed through countless battles and missions. A quantum blade materialized in my hand, glowing faintly with energy. I slashed through the mist in a blur, aiming directly for the core of Kurogiri's body. He wasn't expecting that. My blade connected, and I watched as his arm tore open, bleeding. His form flickered as he teleported back to Shigaraki, looking surprised.
Without wasting a second, I shouted, "Iida, go! Run back to UA and inform someone that USJ is under attack!"
Iida froze for a moment, clearly shocked at the sudden command, but then nodded. "I'll be back as soon as I can!" he shouted as he dashed toward the exit, engines roaring as he sprinted off.
The remaining students gathered behind me, some visibly scared, while others—like Bakugo and Todoroki—looked excited at the prospect of fighting real villains. It was a reckless thought, but I could see the fire in their eyes. These kids were eager to prove themselves.
Kurogiri reappeared in the center of the dome, a group of villains materializing behind him. Up until now, Aizawa had been handling them with precision and skill, taking down villain after villain. But now there were too many. I knew even he would struggle to keep them all at bay.
I glanced at Thirteen. "Take care of the students. Keep them out of the fight."
Thirteen nodded, her face serious as she ushered the students to safety. But before I could join Aizawa, I heard a loud, familiar voice.
"Oi! Don't think you can have all the fun to yourself!" Bakugo shouted, racing toward me, his palms crackling with explosions. Behind him, Todoroki, Kirishima, Kaminari, Midoriya, and a few others were following closely. They weren't about to sit this one out.
I couldn't help but chuckle at their determination. "You idiots," I muttered under my breath. They really had no idea what they were getting into, but I couldn't exactly stop them. "Fine. But if you run into someone too dangerous, don't hesitate—run."
"Like hell I'm running!" Bakugo shouted as he blasted past me, his eyes locked on the villains.
Todoroki, cool as ever, nodded silently, already forming ice around his hands. "We can handle it."
I sighed. There was no stopping them, so I turned my attention back to the real problem: Shigaraki, Kurogiri, and the Nomu.
Shigaraki's fingers twitched in excitement as he pointed at me. "This is the Nomu," he said, his voice dripping with pride. "It was made to kill All Might. And now, it's going to kill you."
The Nomu lumbered toward me, its grotesque form towering over the battlefield. Shigaraki grinned, thinking he'd already won. But I wasn't impressed. I could kill the Nomu in seconds if I wanted to. The only reason I hadn't already done so was because I didn't want to raise any questions.
As the Nomu lunged at me, I raised my hand, summoning a quantum blade. With one swift motion, I sliced through its arm, sending the severed limb flying. The Nomu's arm began to regenerate, but much slower than it should have.
Shigaraki's grin faltered as he watched his precious Nomu struggle. "What the -? K-Kurogiri, stop him!"
Kurogiri moved to intervene, but I wasn't done yet. I formed a spear of quantum energy in my hand, hurling it straight at Shigaraki. He barely had time to react as the spear shot toward him, aiming to sever his arms. Kurogiri managed to warp at the last second, but Shigaraki wasn't so lucky—his hand was sliced clean off.
"Retreat!" Kurogiri shouted, his voice panicked as he created a portal around Shigaraki, pulling him to safety before I could finish the job.
I glanced at the Nomu, which was still trying to regenerate. With one last swift strike, I cut its head off, ending the fight. Its body crumbled to the ground, lifeless. I wrapped the severed head in a cloth and tossed it aside for the authorities.
The rest of the villains were being taken care of by Aizawa and the students. Bakugo and Todoroki had already dealt with several thugs, while Midoriya and Kirishima worked together to subdue the stragglers. Kaminari, meanwhile, was taking out groups with his electricity, careful not to overdo it.
Once all the villains were neutralized, I scanned the area. Everyone was safe. The students looked shaken but relieved that the fight was over. Aizawa walked over, his face bruised and bloodied from the intense battle, but still standing tall.
"Good work," he muttered, giving me a nod of approval. "You handled that Nomu faster than I expected."
"I didn't want to drag it out," I replied with a smirk. "Figured the sooner we finished, the better."
Just then, I saw All Might and Naomasa arrived with the police, their face serious as they assessed the scene. The officers began rounding up the villains, cuffing them and loading them into police vehicles. Naomasa walked up to me, his expression tense.
"Shiro, what's the situation?"
I handed him the Nomu's head, still wrapped in the cloth. "They sent this thing to kill All Might. I'm sure you'll want to run some tests on it."
Naomasa took the head with a grim expression. "We'll get to the bottom of this. But what about Leader?"
"They retreated before I could finish them off," I said, shaking my head. "They know when to cut their losses."
Naomasa sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We'll get them next time. For now, I need to take statements from the students. We will talk later?"
I nodded. "Of course."
While Naomasa and the officers started questioning the students, I took a moment to check on Aizawa. He was battered, but he'd managed to hold his own. Typical of him.
"You good?" I asked, knowing he wouldn't want any fuss.
He nodded, though he winced slightly as he shifted his arm. "I've been through worse."
I chuckled. "Figured as much. Still, you should get those looked at."
"I will," Aizawa grumbled, clearly annoyed at the suggestion of medical help. "After I make sure the students are okay."
I turned my attention to the students, who were huddled together, talking amongst themselves. Midoriya was deep in conversation with Bakugo, while Todoroki stood quietly to the side, as usual. Kirishima was enthusiastically praising Kaminari for his lightning strikes, while Mina and the others seemed to be coming down from the adrenaline of the fight.
They were shaken, sure, but they'd held their own. I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.
As I stood there, watching them interact, I couldn't help but think about how easily things could have gone wrong. I could've ended the fight in seconds, but I had to be careful. These students no, The World was not ready for the kind of power I held. Not yet.
But that day would come. I think?