AN: SOOOOO sorry for the wait! I took a break from writing after the last chapter while the poll ran. That, and figuring out how this arc would end was a nightmare!

But of course, the whole mess involving COVID-19 started getting off the rails during this, too. People are fighting over and hoarding toilet paper! My heart goes out to those who have contracted the virus and I hope with all my heart that the victims and their families can pull through this.

Also, I would like to make a few things clear. First off, there seems to be a bit of confusion regarding Sacred Gears and Quirks. A couple of reviews on FanFiction reference Rias' conversation regarding them, where she stated that having both can't work because the two powers don't work well together. That is NOT TRUE! This isn't "A Certain Magical Index". I've been looking into this, but I've been having trouble finding exactly where and how Rias said this. So either they misread it or I'm missing something. If you can point out where that be great.

Second, Shigaraki WON'T have Divine Dividing, because if he did do you really think that Albion would not do anything to help Tenko either before or after what happened?

Also, the poll is done, and the results will be displayed at the end of the chapter.

All Might frowned as he hung up his phone. His attempts to contact Aizawa, Vlad, and Thirteen had all gone straight to voicemail.

'I guess the class must be in full swing at this point. It's not surprising they aren't picking up at the moment.'

Glancing at the clock on the wall, All Might groaned in annoyance. He had pushed himself this morning and had ended up using almost all of his time. So he was forced to wait in the teacher's lounge, in his smaller form.

'I'm really bad at this whole teaching thing, aren't I? Regardless of the reason, because of my off-hero activities, I am being forced to neglect my duties as a teacher.'

Sighing deeply, All Might leaned back, "I'll have to at least catch the tail end of the class."

"I'd say so, assuming you can make it."

All Might jolted up, at the door Principal Nezu smiled brightly as he walked in. A bit too brightly if All Might was to say honestly.

"Good afternoon, Principal," All Might greeted, trying to hide his nervousness. "Your coat is looking extra glossy today."

"The secret is keratin; helps me get a color and luster no human could hope to achieve. We can talk about it later if you'd like. I'd much rather talk to you about something else at the moment." Taking out a tablet, Nezu scrolled through some news articles before stopping at a picture of All Might, after stopping a crime, "All Might Resolves Three Incidents in Only One Hour!" Nezu read off the title, "You really outdid yourself this morning, didn't you?"

"I…have no excuse, sir."

"There are many agencies in this city that can handle these kinds of incidents. You don't have to go running off every time a cat gets stuck in a tree. Your time could be much better spent, don't you think? For a real emergency, or your students."

All Might winced.

"Speaking of, have you decided on a successor?"

All Might winced harder.

"Even with your injury and its effects on you, you still want to be seen as the Symbol of Peace, but doing so is becoming much harder for you. Since the incident, your time has continued to shrink. You becoming a teacher and slowly fading from the public eye was the best course, I thought. If it suddenly got out you were weakened, it would be very bad."

All Might didn't want to think about that. After spending so much time as a pillar for the people, the thought of what would happen if that was gone was not pleasant. Nezu was right; working as a teacher was the best way for him to step back in a way that the public would accept.

"Even if it's a cover for you, you still must take your responsibilities seriously. Those students deserve to be taught by the best, don't you think?"

"Of course, you are right."

Nezu nodded before getting onto the couch and fixing himself and All Might a cup of tea. "Tell me, have any of the first-year students caught your eye?"

"…A couple have," All Might admitted. "One is Young Midoriya."

"Ah, he was the one who placed first in the Entrance Exams, having the most rescue points. He also did incredibly well in Aizawa's test and the battle trials. He has incredible power, doesn't he?"

All Might nodded in agreement.

"Does this mean he's the one then?"

"…I'm not sure yet," All Might admitted. "The year has only just started, and the other students have yet to truly shine yet. Though I will admit, Young Midoriya does have the spark needed to be a hero."

"A spark, huh? Did Togata Mirio not have this spark?"

That name made All Might flinch.

"If I recall, you were very impressed with the young man back in his second year."

"That's true, he is very impressive."

Nezu took a sip of his tea. "You've been keeping track of the boy?"

"I have, yes."

"Because you are impressed with his progress, or because of who has been training him?"

The "who" hung in the air as both heroes sat in silence. Sir Nighteye: All Might's estranged former sidekick. It had come as quite a shock when he learned that Mirai had helped train the boy, and had pushed for him to be the top candidate for One for All.

"Toshinori, there is something I have been meaning to ask you. I understand that ultimately, who you pass One for All to next is your decision. And while I don't think you would do this, I still have to ask. Did your decision to pass over Togata have anything to do with the troubled past you have with Mirai?"

"No, not at all," was All Might's instant response. "In fact, Young Togata turned the offer down."

"Oh?"

All Might nodded. "He has a good head on his shoulders, is strong, and is developing instincts that will serve him well into his future. He has also developed his Quirk into something truly magnificent. He said so himself that he intends to take my position one day, but only on his terms. He felt that, if he were given One for All, he'll become a copy of me."

Nezu nodded. "I see. That does indeed make sense. I assume that Mirai wasn't very thrilled by his decision?"

All Might's hesitance to answer was all Nezu needed to hear.

"I suppose some are just unaccepting of the fact your time as the Symbol of Peace can't last," Nezu mused. "Either way, whoever you give One for All to is your choice. I'll support it as best I can. Just make sure that you teach them properly like you're supposed to be doing?"

Sighing, All Might lowered his head, knowing that Nezu was right.

"At least you should be able to make it for the end of the class if you rest up a little longer. However, after today, I really hope you take the students' needs into account before you rush off again."

"Of course."

Nezu got up and left, leaving All Might alone with his thoughts. Glancing back over at the clock All Might poured himself a new cup.

'If I wait a couple more minutes, I'll be able to reach the class and stay for a few minutes at least. Hopefully, Aizawa, Kan, and Thirteen have everything under control.'

Iida spat out blood as he lay on the ground, the armor of his costume broken and damaged. He wasn't sure, but he was positive that some of his ribs were either cracked or broken. In front of him, the Wrecking Crew stood firm, smiling evilly at him.

"Giving up, Kidgenium?" The leader of the villains, Wrecker, smugly asked. Iida gritted his teeth as he stood up, albeit shakily. "That's the spirit kid."

Iida stared defiantly at the villains, taking deep breaths to calm his nerves. 'My engines should be okay now. The first chance I get I need to head for the school. But these villains…' he shook his head. He needed to get to the school no matter what. The lives of his classmates are on the line.

"I must get through!" Iida hissed as he readied to run past the villains, "My fellow classmates are counting on me!"

"Oh shut up and die!" shouted one of the villains as he charged at Iida, intending to ram him.

Suddenly, dark red energy suddenly enveloped the villain, stopping him in his tracks as he screamed in pain. "Bulldozer!"

Bulldozer fell to the ground, unconscious as more of the energy quickly struck the other villains.

Iida could only watch in shock as the energy dissipated. The four villains collapsed to the ground, their bodies smoking. The groans confirmed that they were still alive, but who did that?

Looking at the source, Iida caught glimpse of someone. Whoever it was, they were wearing a black hooded coat, hiding their face. They quickly disappeared from sight, though. "Just who…" Iida then remembered that he had more important things to worry about.

Now that the path was clear, Iida ran as fast as his engines allowed, speeding toward U.A.

Izuku continued to glare at the hand-covered villain, who glared back. His mind was currently racing, trying to come up with some way to take the villain down quickly. Shigaraki was incredibly fast, and he could destroy anything with ease. 'Is his Quirk like Ochako's and can only work with all five fingers? If so, then we need to find a way to keep him from using his hands.'

Before he could think of anything else, Izuku's thoughts were interrupted.

*Rip!*

Izuku blinked as he looked at Milia. He blushed a little when he saw that she had ripped off part of her costume. "T-Takamaki?"

"Hold still," Milia used the torn-off fabric to make a makeshift sling for Izuku's broken arm. "How's that?" She asked once done.

"Uh, g-good," Izuku stuttered. "Very close. I-I-I mean, snuggly. I mean snug!" Izuku blushed, unable to understand why he stuttered like that. As Milia finished, his eyes caught sight of her bloody fingertips. "Are you gonna be okay?"

Milia winced as she finished the sling. "I'll be fine."

"How sweet. It makes me wanna puke," Shigaraki hissed.

Milia glared at the villain in response.

"Hey, you guys all right?"

The students currently gathered turned their heads and saw Momo, Kyoka, Itsuka, Tsubasa, Setsuna, Yanagi, and Ibara running words them.

"Still alive for now," Hyde responded. "Glad to see you're safe."

"Vlad-sensei!" Ibara and Yanagi ran over to their teacher, who along with Aizawa was still lying on the ground.

"Tch, more and more brats keep showing up," Shigaraki spat. "Muscular, Kurogiri, you two got careless. I'm rather disappointed in both of you."

Bakugo let out a short snicker. "You got careless, you dumb villain. It wasn't hard to figure you out. Only certain parts of you turn into that smoking warp gate. You use that mist to hide your actual body, as a kind of distraction, thinking that made you safe! That's why we missed the first time! You're not immune to physical attacks if they're well-aimed." The mist man, Kurogiri, grunted as he tried to push himself back up. Bakugo set off tiny pops against his armor, keeping him in place as he leaned in closer. "Don't move! You try anything funny, and I'll blow your ass up right now, you got it? They'll be cleanin' you up for weeks."

"You're a true hero, Bakugo," Kyoka deadpanned.

Muscular could only growl in frustration, the bone spike dangerously close to piercing his jugular vein. "Can you hold him, Kozuki-san?" Momo asked, she and Itsuka standing by her.

"For a little while," Liana whispered to them so as to not let Muscular hear. "Right now we need to focus on getting Aizawa-sensei and Vlad-sensei out of here. They don't have much time."

"On it!" Kyoka, along with Yanagi and Milia, ran over to the teachers. Milia and Yanagi gently picked up Vlad while Kyoka attempted to lift Aizawa, but was having trouble.

"Here, let me!" a familiar pair of gloves hovered over and lifted Aizawa by his legs.

"Wait, Hagakure?" Kyoka blinked. "When did you get here?"

"I was with you at the Mountain Zone, I just happened to land further away from the villains than you guys," Toru explained.

Shigaraki watched in contempt as the four girls carried Aizawa and Vlad away. His eyes then wandered to the heroes-in-training still here. With the exception of a few, they were all glaring at him, waiting for him to make a move.

"Why so hesitant?" Shigaraki asked them. "You captured three of my strongest men, what's stopping you from taking me next?"

"Hey yeah, why aren't we doing that?" Tetsutetsu asked.

"We don't know what his Quirk is, Metal Head!" Bakugo growled.

"It's some kind of disintegration Quirk," Izuku spoke up. "When he touched Aizawa-sensei's arm it began to deteriorate."

"Tch, observant little brat." Shigaraki spat.

"Good to know," Liana said.

"Yeah," Setsuna nodded. "Now that we know about his Quirk, we can end this here and now!"

Shigaraki, much to the student's surprise, chuckled in amusement. "And what makes you think you won?" He turned to Nomu. "Nomu."

Todoroki gasped when Nomu started to move, his arm and leg that were frozen broke apart in the ice.

"How is that thing still moving?" Izuku asked in shock. That's when the ice encasing Nomu began to break. No, not break. Melt. As the ice quickly turned into steam, Nomu's body burst into flames, but instead of burning the beast it… healed him. The eyes of Izuku, Momo, Ibara, Ibara, and Tsubasa all widened in shock. They recognized that fire. 'No way. That's…'

Shigaraki chuckled darkly at their shocked faces. "We created Nomu to kill All Might. He can't feel any hits he takes. He instantly heals any wounds you give him. He'll never tire. He'll never die. And he'll never stop. An immortal killing machine with one purpose. Now be good heroes and die."

The Nomu suddenly dashed towards Bakugo, whose attention was heavily diverted to making sure Kurogiri didn't escape, and so wasn't even able to react in time as the Nomu punched Bakugo into the ground, causing him to bounce several times, crashing through several trees before crashing into a wall.

"KACCHAN/BAKUGO!"

Unfortunately, Muscular took the students' shock as an opportunity and break some of the bones Liana had impaled him with. "Shouldn't let your guard down!" He laughed as he grabbed the bone and, through that, tossed Liana aside.

Itsuka quickly enlarged one of her hands and caught Liana. "You okay?!"

Liana nodded as she was set down. "I let my guard down for one-second!" She hissed, her hand gripping her left arm.

As the dust cleared Ibara didn't hesitate to run toward where the blond landed. The good news was that Bakugo was still alive somehow. The bad news was that the Nomu's punch had been powerful enough to break a good number of his bones. Ibara didn't waste any time in using Twilight Healing. "He's alive… Barely…" Ibara confirmed. Already Bakugo's broken bones realigned as his bruises slowly vanish.

"So they have a healer, huh?" Shigaraki mussed.

"Not for long!" Muscular leaped toward the pair.

Once again, time seemed to slow down for Izuku as he watched Muscular head for Ibara. With her busy healing Bakugo, she couldn't defend herself properly, especially not against someone like him.

"NO!" Without thinking, Izuku ran to intercept Muscular, determined to protect her. To protect THEM!

As he ran, he failed to notice the green glow his gauntly was giving off.

[Welsh Dragon, Balance Breaker!]

Suddenly, a red armored fist collided against Muscular, sending the deranged villain flying.

Everyone present gasped at what they saw as Bakugo slowly stirred. His head hurt like hell and his vision was blurred somewhat, but what he saw was no mistake. "Deku…?"

In a flash of light, armor had formed around the green-haired devil's body. The armor matched his crimson bracer, green jewels, and dragon-like traits forming across his arms, chest, and legs. And finally, there was a long tail.

"What the hell!?" Hyde asked out loud in shock, he and the other students were surprised by the sudden transformation, none more so than Shigaraki, who could only stare wide-eyed at Izuku with a mix of fear and shock.

"Nomu! Kill him now!" Shigaraki ordered.

Nomu quickly attempted to grab Izuku, but he dodges it by sliding on the ground before delivering an uppercut on Nomu's chin. The beast barely felt the punch as it tries to crush Izuku with his foot but Izuku dodges it.

As he stood back up the Nomu swung its arm, hitting Izuku with enough force to push him back several feet, the armor cracking in several areas around where the arm hit. With a grunt, Izuku ignored any pain as he charged at the Nomu again. With a roar the Nomu ran toward Izuku, ready to deliver a punch, but the young Red Dragon Emperor did a quick sidestep, dodging the attack, before delivering a punch to the beast's stomach.

All that did was seem to make the Nomu angry, and the monster retaliated by swatting its giant hand into Izuku's right side. The devil yelled in pain as more of the armor cracked as he skid to a halt.

Back at the entrance, Kyoka, Toru, Yanagi, and Milia gently placed Vlad and Aizawa on the ground near Thirteen, who Celica was taking care of. "You have an elegant Quirk, mademoiselle," Aoyama complimented.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks," Celica smiled. She soon stopped healing Thirteen. "That should do. How do you feel?"

"Better," Thirteen replied as she got up. "Much better. Thank you."

"No problem," Celica sweetly replied. "Now I need to focus on Aizawa-sensei and Vlad-sensei."

As Celica began healing Vlad, the others watched as Izuku fought against the Nomu, all by himself.

"C'mon, Midoriya! You got this!"

"Hell yeah! Show that thing who's boss!" Sero and Awase cheered, along with the other boys. Though the boys were cheering for him, Ochako, Mina, Kyoka, and Milia watched on with concerned looks.

"I can't believe Midoriya-kun is going against that thing by himself… is he going to be okay?" Toru asked.

"I hope so," Ochako said.

"I'm sure he'll be okay," said Mina. Then she yelled out, "Bash that thing into the ground, Midori!" She cheered.

Nearby, the students watch in amazement as Izuku fought against the Nomu. "Awesome…" was all Tetsutetsu could utter.

"Come on, Izuku! Beat that thing!" Ibara cheered, Setsuna and Itsuka doing the same.

However, Liana had only kept her focus on the Nomu and noticed something off. "Something isn't right," she uttered.

"Yeah," Momo nodded. "None of Izuku-san's attacks are hurting it."

"That villain, Shigaraki, did say that the Nomu was meant to kill All Might," Todoroki said. "It must have a Quirk that's a counter to his."

"You mean it has something else other than that fire regeneration?" Honenuki asked.

"From the looks of things, yes," Liana answered. "We should let Midoriya handle that thing. Let's focus on…" she trailed off as she glanced over to where Shigaraki and the other villain were. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw that Muscular was missing. "Where's Muscular!?"

She got her answer when a large, fast-moving mass suddenly hit Izuku in the side, cracking his armor further as he was sent flying into a nearby wall.

"There's no way in hell I can keep still after seeing someone that strong!" Muscular exclaimed, a deranged look on his face.

Within his helmet, Izuku spat out blood. Even with the armor, the attacks from Nomu and Muscular were taking their toll. [Izuku, you can't take much more of this!] Ddraig said. [You were already badly hurt when you achieved this. And you only have a couple of seconds left.]

'Not yet,' Izuku fought back the pain as he shakily stood up, glaring at the villains before them. 'I have…' he began to take a few steps towards the villains. "I have to-"

In the blink of an eye, the armor was gone.

Izuku gasped in shock, before stumbling forward. The students gasped in shock also, with Kirishima and Tsubasa quickly running over to him.

"Midoriya, hey!"

"Green! You okay!?"

"I'm… I'm fine…" Izuku groaned as the redhead helped the greennet stand. His whole body felt weak like he had been training for hours nonstop. 'Ddraig, what happened?'

[You ran out of stamina.] Ddraig mentally answered. [You managed to achieve Balance Breaker for a short time, only about ten-seconds, and Scale Mail is incredibly taxing. That and your arm is still broken. I'm honestly more shocked you're still conscious.]

'Balance Breaker?'

"You okay, man?" Kirishima asked.

"Y…Yeah," Izuku nodded weakly. He'll ask Ddraig more about that later, right now there was still the matter of the Nomu and its master.

"That's it?" Muscular asked, rather disappointed the fight was over before he could even have some fun.

Shigaraki felt a smirk form on his cracked lips. "He's still a newbie with that thing, it seems," he muttered. "Let's not waste any time. Nomu, kill-"

BAM!

Suddenly, a loud explosion burst from the entrance, as the sliding doors to the USJ were blown off with tremendous force, creating a dust cloud that concealed whoever it was. All eyes went to the entrance. A deep relief washed over all the students and teachers, the feeling of which was clearly evident on their faces.

"Have no fear, students…" After throwing aside his suit jacket, All Might grabbed his tie and ripped it off his neck. "I am here!"

Gone was the normal smile on All Might's face. Replacing it was a face of pure rage.

"Well, look who finally decided to show. I've been waiting for you All Might. Time to die you worthless piece of shit." Shigaraki declared.

"All Might…" Thirteen muttered.

"Sorry I'm late, though it seems my instincts were right on this one, glad I cut my talk with the principal short." All Might stated. "Young Iida told me the gist of what was going on when he arrived at U.A. The other teachers will be here soon, so leave the rest to me."

As the minions in the plaza who had regained consciousness stood in awe of All Might, they were suddenly floored. All Might had made it to the plaza in a flash, taking them all down in an instant. In that same instant, he had gathered each of the students in the plaza, pulling them from harm's way.

It took roughly a second for them to realize what had append. "What the hell?" Hyde voiced what they all thought.

All Might looked over the students. Most of them were fine, but a couple were badly hurt.

Tsubasa had begun carrying Izuku in her arms, which would've been somewhat funny if the situation wasn't so dire. Izuku's arm was a sickly dark color, due to it being broken, the sling Milia had made having been torn off when he went Balance Break. It was easy to tell that he was exhausted and fighting through a lot of pain.

Bakugo was somewhat worse. He couldn't even stand on his own right now, relying on Kirishima for aid. His right eye had swollen and his arm was limp, likely dislocated. His right leg was twisted somewhat as well.

'They've all suffered so much while I was resting…' All Might gritted his teeth, glaring at the villains. "You kids stand back. I'll deal with these villains!"

"All…Might…" Izuku's voice was barely more than a whisper, but All Might was immediately kneeling down to better listen to him from where he was still being held in Tsubasa's arms, "big one…impact resistance…flame regeneration…strong…be careful…"

"He's right. That thing was made to fight against you at full power," Liana stressed.

"That hand's villain even said the thing was immortal," Hyde pointed out.

"At least let us handle Muscular and the other two." Honenuki offered.

"I appreciate the concern," the Symbol of Peace nodded. "But let me handle this. Take Young Midoriya to safety. He and Young Bakugo need rest."

"Screw that," Bakugo growled. "I'm paying that bird bastard ba- ACK!" The ashen blond nearly collapsed at the sudden pain in his side.

"I rest my case."

"Nomu, Muscular, Kurogiri, kill him," Shigaraki ordered. "I'll deal with the children. Let's finish this level and go home."

"Right!" Muscular grinned.

"Heads up, they're coming," Hyde warned, readying the Insulator. Some of the other students took on defensive stances also.

A familiar massive black shape shot out towards them with a roar and headed straight for All Might. The Symbol of Peace was ready and met its massive fist with his own, creating a shockwave so intense that the students and the other villains were all pushed back by the air pressure.

"You can't win, Hero!" Shigaraki taunted as he tumbled through the air before landing. "He's immortal!"

"Yeah? What about it?!" All Might yelled back as his fist collided with Nomu's yet again. Before long, their series of slow punches escalated into a rapid exchange of fists, each one sending off massive gusts of air.

As she steadied herself, careful not to let go of Izuku, Tsubasa absorbed the concrete from the ground to wiggle herself down so as to not be blown any further back. "He's…fighting…that thing…on his own…?" She heard Izuku ask over the blowing wind.

"Whoa, they're…" said Tetsutetsu, letting out a gasp as he almost fell over.

"…so fast!" Kirishima finished, hardening his skin to keep himself in place.

"No! I can't get near them!" Kurogiri cursed as the shockwaves likewise kept him and Muscular out of the fight.

True to the kids' warning, All Might found that the Nomu resisted his attacks to an unnatural degree. What's more was that the Nomu was matching him blow per blow, even managing to get a few hits of its own.

However, this was not the first opponent that All Might had ever faced whom he could not simply take down with a single blow. Amongst the hundreds, nay, thousands of opponents that he had faced over his career, there had only been a few who had been able to truly stand against him.

One, in particular, stood out from all of the others, and All Might fears that he might be responsible for this monstrosity. Painful memories rose up as the Nomu landed a hit in the side, nearly causing All Might to topple over from pain, but he withstood it.

For right now, his anger was greater than any pain he felt. Indeed, he was far angrier than he could remember ever being in recent memory. The reason was clear too: these Villains had threatened his students, incapacitated two of his comrades, and dared injured some of them.

All the more reason to end this now.

"You may be immortal, villain," All Might said to the Nomu, not caring if it could understand him or not. "But that only means you're limits are slightly higher than everyone else's!" All Might's punches slowly began to land on Nomu rather than colliding with the beast's own attacks.

"You were made to fight me, right? Even if you can withstand me going at 100%," All Might slowly began to force Nomu back with his blows. "Then I'll simply go beyond that and FORCE YOU TO SURRENDER!" The speed of All Might's punches escalated, causing the Nomu to flinch as several solid hits landed on its face before he flew a left hook, sending the Nomu flying.

The Nomu roared and charged him once more, but All Might brought Nomu's head crashing into his knee and hurled him through the air with a twisting wrench that would have torn the head off of any lesser being, sending the beast up into the air. All Might, having jumped into the air after Nomu, seized him by the wrist with both hands and began spinning as quickly as he was able, feeling the bones begin to crack under his iron grip before he hurled him toward the ground, causing the concrete around Nomu to break apart. Before Nomu could do anything, All Might himself made contact with the ground, now standing right in front of his opponent.

"And now for a lesson. You may have heard these words before, but I'll teach you what they really mean!" All Might brought his fist back. "Go beyond! PLUS…" All Might dug his fist deep into Nomu's body.

"ULTRAAAAAAA!" Nomu was sent flying at such a fast speed and with the force of the attacks, that he smashed right through the roof, destroying the lights and electronics in a massive explosion that rocked the dome. Everyone in the USJ could feel it, while Nomu's body continued to soar into the sky, and disappeared into the vast blue heavens.

"Holy shit," Setsuna exclaimed.

"That power's insane," Itsuka said in wonder.

"That was like a finishing move in a fighting game," Hyde mumbled in awe.

"So manly…" was all Tetsutetsu could utter, manly tears streaming down his face.

"He must've been moving and hitting that thing so fast it wasn't able to regenerate," Honenuki noted.

'He truly is the best,' Todoroki thought.

'That's what it takes to be number,' Bakugo thought.

"He did it…" Izuku said as he looked at the smoke stack where All Might stood, his lips forming a weak smile.

[Now I understand why you admire him so much.] Ddraig sounded to be in awe somewhat.

"I suppose I have gotten weaker," All Might admitted. "In my prime, six to eleven hits would've been enough to knock that guy out. But today…" All Might pressed his fist up to his chest. "It took well over 500 mighty blows!"

Steam began to form from All Might's neck. 'Time's up. I need to finish this quickly.' The Number 1 Hero turned towards Tomura and Kurogiri. "You've been bested, criminals. Now surrender, we all want to get this over with quickly."

Shigaraki shook in rage. His Nomu wasn't able to kill anyone! Not those heroes. Not those brats. Not even All Might! "No, no, no!" He muttered as he violently scratched his neck. "You've gotten weaker?! What I just saw disproved that! Was Master wrong?"

'Master?' All Might thought before continuing his taunts. "Not gonna try and get me? You did say you wanted to clear the level. If you can take me, bring it on!"

Ibara, accompanied by Liana, Momo, Setsuna, and Itsuka, rushed over to Izuku and Tsubasa. "Are you okay, Izuku?" Ibara asked.

"I'm fine… just tired," Izuku replied. "And my arm's still broken."

That got a chuckle out of the girls. "Just hold still," the vine-haired devil began using Twilight Healing on his arm.

"Looks like we don't have anything to worry about, huh?" Setsuna said with a cheeky grin.

"Getting involved would just put us in the way." Itsuka nodded. "Let's head back to the entrance."

"Yes," Momo agreed.

"Hold on," Liana looked over and All Might. "Is it me or does All Might look a little… off?"

"Off?" Tsubasa raised an eyebrow as she and the others looked at All Might.

Izuku's eyes narrowed at what he saw. "She's right. All Might is shaking. And is that steam?"

Momo's eyes widened in worry. 'He's reached his limit. If we noticed then…' she glanced over toward the villains.

'Steam…?' Shigaraki stopped scratching, having noticed that same thing. Though it was hard to see with the smoke, All Might was, indeed, steaming. Shigaraki's cracked lips formed into a grin once again. 'Maybe Sensei was right. If he's hit his limit, then he really has weakened! Enough for us to kill him!'

"Kurogiri, deal with the children," Shigaraki ordered. "Muscular, we'll finish off All Might."

The smoke villain looked at Shigaraki in surprise.

"Why are you gawking? This is our best chance."

Muscular nodded and smiled as Shigaraki blitzed All Might.

"Time to die, he-" A bolt of green, fired from the right and hit Shigaraki in the gut. The villain gaged in pain as he tumbled along the ground before straightening himself.

Snarling, he turned his furious gaze to the students, which was where the blast came from. Izuku had fired a Dragon Shot. Despite the pain he was feeling, Izuku grinned in victory at Shigaraki before he collapsed again.

This only served to piss the League of Villain's leader off. "You brat…!" Shigaraki hissed. But before he could do anything…

*BANG!*

A gunshot later and there was a bloody hole in Shigaraki's hand.

"What the he-" more gunshots sounded, piecing Muscular's limbs, causing him to fall back from the pain and shock.

Momo and the others gasped, before turning their heads toward the sound of the bang. Everyone looked at the entrance. All Might grinned with relief. "They're here."

And by them, he meant the Pros.

"Sorry, everyone! I know we're a bit late," called out U.A.'s principal. "But I got the teachers over here as fast as I could." True enough, standing at the top of the USJ's staircase with the principal were the teachers of U.A.

"Shigaraki... I believe it's time for us to escape," Kurogiri said, nervously. Shigaraki grumbled something but nodded as Kurogiri warped him and Muscular away to safety.

"I may have failed this time, but your days are numbered!" the blue-haired villain yelled at All Might. "All Might, Symbol of Peace! I am going to kill you!"

And with that, the villains vanished into the warp gate. It was all over.

Shigaraki, Kurogiri, and Muscular returned safely to their hideout. Their mission was a failure, and now things will be even more difficult. U.A.'s security will increase now, making it difficult to kill the Symbol of Peace there.

"We had it! We had a chance at getting All Might and we failed!" the Decay Quirk user yelled in an angry tone, slamming his good fist on the counter. "That damn dragon boy! How dare he!"

"Calm down, Shigaraki Tomura," Kurogiri reassured.

"Yeah, we lost," Muscular said as he sat down. "Get over it."

"Don't talk to me!" Shigaraki yelled.

["That's enough."]

Shigaraki instantly calmed down before turning to a television mounted on the wall. The words "Sound Only" were on display.

["Shigaraki, Kurogiri, Muscular. I take it from your tone that you failed to kill All Might?"] the voice asked.

"I'm afraid not, Master," Shigaraki admitted. "The Symbol of Peace didn't show until near the end. We managed to injure Thirteen, Eraserhead, and Vlad King, but the students were stronger than we expected. They manage to take down all the minions we sent. But there was one pest that should've been squash!" Shigaraki began to starch his neck again. "That damn dragon brat was able to fight against Nomu and stopped us from killing All Might!"

["Dragon?"] the Master asked, intrigued.

"The Welsh Dragon," Shigaraki hissed. "He's a student at U.A.! Even though he's still a newbie, he fought evenly with Nomu!"

["Speaking of the Nomu, where is he?"] Another voice asked.

"He was blown away," Kurogiri answered.

["What?!"]

"Without precise coordinates to where he landed, I couldn't bring him back with us."

["This is a travesty!"] the second voice exclaimed. ["And after all the trouble we went through to make him as strong as All Might."]

["Yes,"] the Master agreed. ["Though I suppose it can't be helped, unfortunately. Still, this wasn't a futile effort,"] the master hummed, the sound of a machine beep accompanying it. ["We learned much. Take all the time you need to gather more villains. I will remain hidden in the shadows which is why I need you as my face. A symbol of your own. Shigaraki Tomura, next time you will show the world why it should be afraid of you."]

Somewhere in an unknown location, the League's 'Master' ended his conversation with Shigaraki. The man was dressed in a business suit with his face covered in the darkness. He had various tubes sticking out of his neck and jaw, helping him breathe.

"Well, that could've ended better," the only other occupant of the room commented. "It's disappointing we lost the Nomu."

"Yes," Sensei agreed with the doctor. "But we did learn that the Red Dragon Emperor is attending U.A. along with the devils and that sorcerer. We play our cards right and they could prove useful."

"Then should we accept the offer this 'Khaos Brigade' gave us, Master?" The doctor asked.

"…No. Let's observe for now and see what happens."

"Very well," the doctor nodded. "By the way, I've just been informed that Lailah is in the city."

"Oh?" He smiled. "And what brings her back?"

An hour after the end of the battle, the police were in force at the USJ, arresting the villains that had been captured while taking statements from the students. Thirteen, Vlad King, Eraserhead, Izuku, and Bakugo had been sent immediately to the infirmary, where Recovery Girl and several doctors on loan from Musutafu General Hospital were waiting. All Might had accompanied them to make sure they arrived safely at their destination.

Any other students who had received minor injuries were being tended to by the doctors present, Milia being one of them, a doctor applying rubbing alcohol to her fingertips.

As this was going on, a tall detective with short black hair was regarding the scene, glaring at the villains as they were put into special transports.

"Scum. As much as I hate having to say it this way, these children were lucky. Apart from a couple of them, all of the students appear to be physically unharmed."

"Tsukauchi-sama, we have an initial account from all the students still present here," one officer stated.

"Good. Let's have the students return to their classrooms for now," Tsukauchi ordered.

"We won't be questioning them right away, then?" Another officer asked.

"No, these children have been through enough. Let them rest for a little while. We'll ask them later."

Several students approached Tsukauchi, worry clear on their faces. "Detective-sama," Tsuyu asked. "How are Aizawa-sensei and Kan-sensei?"

"Aizawa-sensei has suffered multiple fractures in both arms, as well as a facial fracture. Fortunately, there does not seem to be any serious damage, but his orbital floor broke in small pieces, and his eyes may suffer from aftereffects. Kan-sensei, fortunately, only suffered damage to his arms along with several bruises, although he will have to be given blood to counter his blood loss," One of the doctors still on-site revealed.

"Kero…" Tsuyu said in a sad tone.

"What about Thirteen?" Itsuka asked.

"She's already undergoing treatment. Whoever treated the lacerations from her back to her upper arm did an amazing job," Tsukauchi answered. "After getting Recovery Girl's treatment, Thirteen should be back on her feet by tomorrow."

Almost everybody sighed in relief.

"What about our classmates?" Iida asked.

"Your classmates will be fine," Tsukauchi reassured. "From what I have been told, Bakugo has it the worst, a broken back along with several other major injuries," he then turned to Ibara. "What you did likely saved his life."

Ibara sighed in relief, glad that Bakugo will live. As much as she hated him, she knew he doesn't deserve to die. "What about Izuku-san?" She asked.

"Yeah, is Midori okay?" Mina asked.

"Izu-kun…" Ochako mumbled.

"The worst he has is a broken arm. That, and the extreme case of exhaustion," Tsukauchi answered. "I've been told that he will be fine with some rest and treatment."

"Thank you, Detective-sama," Everyone said, smiling in relief, as the officers began to guide them to the buses that would take them to their classrooms.

Tsukauchi turned to his assistant, a young man with the head of a cat. "Sansa-kun. I still have some business in the nurse's office. I'll leave this to you, 'kay?"

"Yes, sir!" Sansa saluted.

Some of the girls looked at Sansa in bewilderment.

'A cat?'

'Cat cop?'

'Aw, look at his bell!'

'How cute!' Mina, Setsuna, Ochako, and Pony all thought.

As he walked to his car, Tsukauchi was stopped by another policeman. "Someone thought to be involved in this attack was just apprehended in a wooded area nearby."

Tsukauchi gasped and turned to the officer. "Report."

"He has no apparent injuries. He's currently cooperating, but he hasn't said a word yet. We're unsure if he can even speak."

Tsukauchi then noticed Nezu, Midnight, and Snipe walking out of the USJ. "Principle!" He approached them and took his hat off. "I'd like to investigate every inch of the school, just to be safe."

"Of course, please do!" The Principle said with arms up. "You'll have full access to the campus. We definitely need your assistance on this matter. I don't care who makes a fuss. You have my blessing."

"Sir!" The four turned to the cop running up to them. "There's… something I think you should know."

"What is it?" Tsukauchi asked.

"Last week, we… received a tip saying that villains were planning to invade U.A.'s campus, sir," the cop explained.

The eyes of Tsukauchi and the heroes all widened in shock. Someone knew of the attack a week beforehand. "Who filed the tip?" Midnight asked.

"No file was opened," the cop explained.

"Why not?" Tsukauchi asked.

"…We didn't find the information credible."

"…What about now?" Snipe snarked.

"See if you can locate the tipper, whoever it was," Tsukauchi ordered.

"Sir!"

Nezu silently lowered his head in thought. 'First a tip regarding All For One's survival. Now a tip forewarning this villain attack. And Iida's testimony regarding someone aiding him fight off the Wrecking Crew… Someone's playing a complex game.'

Later on in the day, Izuku let out a groggy groan as he woke up. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was in the nurse's office, lying on a medical bed, and Recovery Girl was looking at them. "Ah, good. You're awake," the old lady said. "How are you feeling?"

"Still a little tired, but I'm fine," Izuku answered. "Are Aizawa-sensei and Vlad King okay? And Kacchan?"

"Aizawa and Kan are in a neighboring room," Recovery Girl replied, walking over to her desk. "As for Bakugo, he woke up a little bit ago good as new. He left not long after without saying a word."

'He's okay,' Izuku mentally said.

By the time Izuku was allowed to leave, night had fallen. Izuku, right arm wrapped in bandages with a cast to support it, walked along the empty hallways. Once he exited the building, Izuku was happily surprised to see the ORC along with some of his classmates waiting for him.

And in a split moment, Rias bolted towards him wrapping her arms tightly around him, burying her face into the crock of his neck. Izuku had just barely kept his balance in check after his master practically tackled him. He opened his mouth to say something, but his words ended up caught in his throat. So instead, he simply hugged her back as best he can.

"You're OK," Rias whispered. She sounded to be on the verge of tears.

"Yeah," Izuku nodded.

"I was so worried," she said, pulling herself back with her hands still on his shoulders. "When Momo and the others told me what happened…" whatever Rias was about to say died in her throat. Instead, she simply hugged him again, with Ibara and Ochako soon joining.

Jealous glares from Ravel, Mina, Tsubasa, Milia, Itsuka, and Setsuna quickly died, and the girls just being grateful that everything was over.

"You had us worried, man," said Hyde.

After reassuring that Izuku was okay for the most part, the small group went their separate ways, with only the ORC remaining.

As they walked, Izuku couldn't help but notice how quiet Ravel was. "Is something wrong, Ravel-chan?" He asked.

Ravel stayed quiet for a second before saying anything. "Is it true?" She asked.

Knowing what she meant, Izuku nodded. "Yeah, there's no mistaking it. Nomu had the Phenex's immortality."

Ravel looked more than disturbed by Izuku's answer, as were the others. "Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yes," Ibara nodded. "After Todoroki-san froze some of his limbs, Nomu broke them off and they regenerated in seconds, the same way Riser regenerates," she said, recalling the fight between Rias and Riser during the Rating Game.

"How is that possible?" Yuuto asked.

"My older brother, Rivalz Phenex, disappeared about a year ago," Ravel explained. "As much as I hate to admit it, but that Nomu you fought… might've been him."

An unsettling silence fell upon them. Questions began to swirl, some of which they didn't want answers to. That silence though was broken by Kyoka. "Uh, well it might've been some Quirk," she suggested. "Just because it looks like a Phenex's immortality doesn't mean it is."

"She right," Rias nodded, placing a hand on Ravel's shoulder. "I'll inform my brother what happened and he can have someone investigate. For now, let's go home. It's been a long day."

Bakugo Katsuki growled angrily as he got off the train. Other than Deku, he was the most injured student during the whole "USJ Incident" as the press began calling it. He didn't remember much, just that stupid bird villain hitting him hard and then waking up with Vine Hair over him, using some wired second Quirk to heal him.

As much as he hated to admit it, he probably would be dead now if it wasn't for her. That didn't mean he'll thank her. Recovery Girl was the one who finished the job, not one of Deku's girlfriends. Which brought him to the main reason he was mad. During that whole mess, Deku managed to do more than him.

'Whatever that bastard did to go up against that Bird Brain villain defiantly isn't a regular Quirk,' he mentally hissed. He still remembered how Deku slipped that his power wasn't a Quirk the other day. He didn't believe that bullshit, of course, but after seeing that… Katsuki honestly didn't know what to think anymore.

In just a few short weeks his entire worldview had been turned upside down, starting from when he found out he scored fifth in the entrance exam. And it was all somehow connected to Deku!

"Damnit, everything pisses me off!" He screeched as he got home. He was about to open the door but paused. Odds are the old hag and old man were waiting inside for him. Sighing in contempt at what the hag will likely do, he opened the door.

"I'm back!" He called into the house, dropping his bag and removing his shoes. "Look, hag, I know what you're gonna say. So just get it over wi-"

Bakugo Mitsuki then did something that Katsuki never would've seen coming. Instead of slapping him on the head, yelling at him for being weak or something similar, the Bakugo matriarch…pulled him close and hugged him tightly, as if just loosening a bit would result in him dying.

"You're okay…" she sobbed, her voice quiet, tears of joy running down her face.

Katsuki honestly had no idea how to respond to this. He could only stand there dumbfounded as the old man also hugged him. Eventually, he returned his parents' hug.

Nearby, a figure wearing a green yukata watch with a small smile.

Two of the Vatican's Exorcists, both of them wrapped in white cloaks, were walking away from the steps of the cathedral as they discussed the assignment the Pope had given them. Their cloaks hid their frames well but their faces were clearly youthful and feminine.

"I can't believe we're going to Japan! I haven't seen my old home in so long!" The brown-haired Exorcist beamed with enlightened optimism.

"Calm down," the blue-haired one said. "I know you're excited, but try to be serious. A fallen angel has stolen three Excaliburs. Our mission from the Lord is to retrieve them."

"An incredibly dangerous assignment," both girls stopped and turned. An older Exorcist, who appears to be in their late twenties, was approaching them. Like the two girls, her white cloak concealed her face, the only detail they could see is her blue eyes. "I certainly hope you can handle this."

"Sister Griselda!" The blue-haired exorcist exclaimed. "I didn't realize you had returned."

The older Exorcist nodded. "I just got back from Chile."

"Really? You finished inspecting the churches there?" A new voice spoke up. The three Exorcists looked around but didn't see anyone else. "Cuz I hear they've been bribing money from the locals. Can't let them ruin the already bad rep of the Church, can we?"

Griselda let out a long sigh of annoyance. "Osanne…"

"What? I'm just saying that not many people actually trust the Church these days. Not that I blame them." Someone jumped down from above and landed in front of them. It was another Exorcist, around the same age as Griselda. Unlike the others she had the hood of her cloak down, revealing her face. She was fairly attractive, with deep red eyes and long, golden hair that reached down to her waist.

"Eavesdropping again, Osanne?" Griselda asked her fellow Exorcist. "If you are then you have the time to accompany them to Japan, correct?"

"No, unfortunately," she sighed. "Need to head to New Orleans today. Something about a vampire hypnotizing people to make dioramas." The two young exorcists felt sweat-drops form on their heads. "Guess when you're immortal you do whatever you can to avoid boredom."

"I'd like to say that's different, but that's not the oddest thing I've ever dealt with," said Griselda.

"Well, we should be leaving," the brown-haired Exorcists said. "Our flight is scheduled for tonight and we can't be late. It was great seeing you, Osanne-sensei."

"Likewise, but before you leave, let me ask: Why'd you think the old geezer gave this assignment to you two? A couple of kids?"

"God Himself chose us for this, not the Pope."

"Oh, really? And how do you know that for sure? Did you see God Himself, or Michael for that matter?" The two young Exorcists didn't answer.

"Osanne…" Griselda groaned.

"I'm just saying, if Heaven was aware of the stolen Excaliburs, they would've sent someone more qualified. That tells me the Pope doesn't want to let them know and is sending you two because he sees you as expendable, even if you can wield Holy Swords."

Griselda sighed again, having come to a similar conclusion. "That may be true," the blue-haired Exorcist said. "But we can't let the fallen angels keep the Excalibur fragments."

"Well, you girls be careful," Osanne continued. "The area you're heading to is controlled by the Devil King's kid sister. One wrong move and we'll be in deep shit."

The two young exorcists nodded, ignoring Osanne's curse. "Anything else?" Griselda asked.

"Yeah. I heard that the Red Dragon Emperor has resurfaced in Japan. And he's joined the devils."

The two young Exorcists visibly paled at this. "Do you think that-"

"As if! He's a servant of the Devil Kings kid sister," Osanne said. "So I doubt they'd be looking for war. Kokabiel, on the other hand, defiantly will be. So I suggest you seek their help."

"Work with devils?!" The blue-haired Exorcists exclaimed.

"You're gonna have to," Osanne replied. "Word on the grapevine is that the monster who killed Christos is in Japan also."

The three Exorcists all gaped in shock, Griselda most of all. But her shock soon gave way to anger. "Are you sure?" She asked quietly, but her voice was seething with rage.

Osanne nodded. "Yeah. And, while there's no evidence, I heard that she's working with the fallen angel who stole the Excaliburs."

Without warning, Griselda turned around and stormed her way toward the Pope.

The two younger Exorcists could only watch in surprise while Osanne shook her head. "And there she goes."

"Now I'm worried," the brown-haired Exorcist admitted.

"Don't worry," said Osanne. "Just be careful, and try not to do anything stupid."

AN: Annnnd, scene! We have now officially made it through the USJ! Ugh, this was a nightmare to write. This chapter nearly killed me! I went back and forth on whether Izuku should go Balance Break or not to fight Nomu or have All Might fight Nomu like in canon. I eventually decided to do the Balance Break just so I can finish this damn chapter.

Another thing I debated on was the arc after this. Should it be the Sports Festival or the DxD arc covering the Excaliburs? I figured that since the Sports Festival takes place about two weeks after the USJ, I can use those two weeks for the Excalibur arc.

So, with 55 out of 84 votes (so disappointed with the total amount) the winner of the poll is Izuku. No surprise there. Does this mean that Izuku will get the Quirk? …Maybe. Maybe not.

Also regarding Nomu, he's a bit stronger than he was in canon due to… certain reasons. Since All Might still have One for All at this point he's still as strong as he was at the beaconing of MHA canon, even though he had a little more trouble here.

See you next time. PLUS ULTRA!