"Next?"
The villains trembling with a mixture of genuine fear and fear manufactured by his Quirk all rushed at him as if their very lives depended on it, their fight or flight response having been jump started forcibly.
A muscular yellow skinned man with red eyes and tusks jutting out of his mouth swung a right hook at him.
Izuku caught the fist in an iron grip as a woman stabbed at him with knife-like fingers, her fingers failing to pierce his body while armored with Black Cowl.
Both villains' eyes widened at how ineffectual their attacks had been.
"My turn."
Izuku punched the man's outstretched arm in the elbow with his free hand, causing the joint to explode backwards. The man screamed in pain and collapsed to his knees, only being held up by Izuku refusing to release his fist that was now being slowly crushed.
The woman tried to pull away but he grabbed her wrist before she could escape and yanked her forwards, causing her to stumble right into a brutal knee to the midsection. The air left her lungs in a woosh as she collapsed to the ground unmoving.
He turned to the man trying to claw his now broken fist free from Izuku's grip. He snapped out with a jab to the man's jaw that silenced his screaming.
Izuku released his hold on the man dangling from his broken arm and looked up to appraise the few villains that remained. They had stopped their charge at the sight of what was likely their remaining strongest being taken down with ease.
He could practically see fight warring with flight within their wide eyes, it made them unpredictable and therefore dangerous. Perhaps fear was a poor choice to use in combat.
With a thought, he changed from cramming fear down the villains' throats to a despair deep enough that it would make them feel as if they had already lost and tomorrow wouldn't be coming.
All the remaining villains stopped trembling, some covered their faces and began to weep while others dropped to their knees with vacant looks in their eyes.
"Surrender," Izuku commanded as he slowly floated off the ground to stare down at the remaining villains.
The villains wordlessly raised their hands above their heads in compliance.
"I'll ask this once. What was your goal here?"
With a defeated voice that could barely be heard over the winds a villain said, "W-We were hired to kill hero students, he said we would get a bonus for each k-kill. The guy with the hands kept saying something about not being able to kill a Symbol without breaking it first."
Worst case scenario confirmed, he made the villains form a tight group and wrapped a stripped power line cable around the group before handing one end to Kaminari.
"If they try anything, fry 'em," He instructed.
"Where are you going?" Hitoshi asked while tending to Shoji's leg.
"To help the rest of the class, sit tight here and wait for back up," Izuku responded.
With that said he shot off with a boom and smashed through the dome's enclosure once more, on his way to the flood zone.
What he saw when he arrived overhead in the flood zone was half a ship floating aimlessly through the air with Ochako and Kirishima on top trying to balance.
Looking closer, he saw that Ochako was bleeding from a gash on her thigh from where the villain currently flinging blades of water had grazed her.
The corners of his vision tinted red as his eyes snapped to the villain who had made the biggest mistake of their life.
He plunged into the water hard enough to create a wave that rippled outward, a second later he flew out of the water with his prize.
The villain squirmed as Izuku's hands were wrapped tightly around his scrawny neck.
"You dare!?" He roared in the man's face.
"W-What?" The soon to be unconscious man choked out in confusion.
Izuku inhaled deep through his nostrils as he reered his back before bringing the crown of his forehead crashing between the villain's eyes as he released his hold around the villain's neck, the villain slapping into the water below them and beginning to sink.
Blackwhip speared into the water and wrapped around the ankles of every villain, then in a mockery of fishing, he gripped the tendrils together and yanked them out of the water only to slap them back into the surface hard enough that they might as well have hit concrete. He quickly gathered the unconscious and sinking villains and deposited them onto the shore so they wouldn't drown.
He flew up to where Ochako and Kirishima balanced on the section of ship that floated mid-air and carefully scooped Ochako into a princess carry while Blackwhip picked up Kirishima.
"How badly are you hurt? How much blood have you lost? How deep is it? Can you move it? Can you feel-" He asked rapid fire as he squeezed every last ounce of healing out of Cell Activation while on their way to the shore.
He was cut off by Ochako pulling his head down and silencing him with a kiss.
"I'm fine, ya worrywort. We country gals are made a' sterner stuff," She said once she pulled away from the kiss.
"Oh," He said intelligently as they landed on the shore near the hurricane zone.
He set them both down but caught Ochako wince when she put weight on her injured but no longer bleeding leg. He went to scoop her back up but Kirishima placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
"I got this, Bro. Go help the others," Kirishima said as he pulled Ochako's arm over his shoulders and helped carry her weight.
"Go whoop sum ass fer me," Ochako told him with a grin that would make Rumi proud.
He pecked her on the lips and squeezed Kirihima's shoulder in thanks before rocketing off for the inferno zone.
Upon crashing through the dome the heat from all the fires hit him full in the face.
He heard Dark Shadow's unmistakable roar coming from somewhere nearby.
He ripped through the super heated air towards the commotion and found Tokoyami and Sero fighting a lone villain with several people laying unmoving in craters nearby.
Dark Shadow and the Doppelganger on Sero's back looked to be covered in Sero's flaming tape and were trying in vain to put the fire out.
The villain was hurling fireballs from range that his classmates were barely managing to dodge.
The villain spotted him flying headlong at her from above and aimed her palms at him. Two fireballs formed into one massive one and the villain fired.
The fireball raced up to meet him, Izuku raised BlackCowl to 30% and swatted the ball of fire to the side.
He crashed down on the woman with dual hammer fists aimed at her shoulders. His fists collided with a dual crunch as both her clavicles broke from the blows and her shoulders popped out of their sockets, her raised arms falling limp to her sides. The woman screamed in pain as she attempted to raise her arms but found she couldn't.
Izuku uppercutted her in the jaw, sending her sailing into a dumpster where she stayed.
"You guys good?" He asked, turning to his classmates.
"Thanks to you, Man!" Sero exclaimed in obvious relief.
"Indeed, our revelry was coming to a close," Tokoyami agreed?
"I can't feel any more people nearby so I think the zone is clear, can you find your way out?" He asked.
"Yeah, wanna take Doppel with you?" Sero asked while gesturing to the shadow protruding from his back.
"No, you might end up needing 'em," Izuku said before launching back into the sky and towards the blizzard zone.
While between zones he saw Nejire's spirals, Kyoka's soundwaves, and Bakugou's explosions raining down from the top of the landslide zone.
He punched his way into the dome encasing the blizzard zone, the sudden cold compared to the sweltering heat of the inferno zone shocking him.
He couldn't see anything through the flurries of snow so he swapped to infrared and scanned the area.
He immediately found the unmistakable heat signature of Toru, her shimmering hair a dead give away.
She was going toe to toe against a massive villain with a polar bear mutation, armed with nothing but her steel batons as she prepared to make a last stand in defense of the classmates behind her.
Behind her was Todoroki kneeling in the snow, trying and failing to rise, the temperature in his right hand and foot indicated that he was experiencing frostbite.
Behind Todoroki was….Tsu's unmoving form curled up into the fetal position and barely giving off any heat signature at all.
He didn't remember making the conscious decision to move, but the next instant he was tackling the ten foot villain into the snow covered mountain side.
"What the-" The polar bear Quirk user questioned.
"I'll make a coat out of you!" He bellowed as he joined his fists together high in the air while in full mount on his opponent.
The man saw what was about to happen and brought his arms up to block just as Izuku brought his axe handle blow crashing down with all the force of an avalanche.
The incredible strength the man's Quirk gave him proved to be enough to withstand the blow but Izuku didn't stop, nor did he notice pushing Black Cowl up to 35%.
The entire mountside shook with the force of the blows.
He battered the man's huge fur covered arms until they crumpled beneath his wrath, broken and useless.
He bludgeoned at the man's face until he was bloodied and unmoving, but even then he did not stop.
"-ORI!"
Blood was beginning to color the snow around the man's head.
"MIDORI! STOP!" Someone cried as he felt something wrap around him.
The voice snapped him out of his violent trance.
He looked down at what he had done in his rage.
The villain was unconscious, his snout mangled, lips split, teeth missing, tongue half bitten through, brow split with bone visible, both eyes already swelling shut, and his breathing uneven as he gurgled on his own blood.
If the man had been even slightly less durable he would have killed him or given him permanent brain damage.
He looked to his joined fists in horror, blood dripped from them and white fur clung to the knuckle dusters.
"Look at me," Toru said from somewhere.
"LOOK AT ME, MIDORI!" She yelled from right beside him when he didn't comply.
He turned to see her face to face with him as she clutched to his side.
When had she gotten so close?
She reached up and cupped his cheek as worry poured off her.
"It's ok, you're alright. You saved us," She promised him.
He pulled her into a hug, desperate for her reassurance.
"Tsu…" He said, too afraid to actually ask the question.
She was quick to hug him back as her small hand carded through his hair and she said, "Tsu is ok, the cold just made her go into hibernation. I'm more worried about Todoroki honestly, his fingers were beginning to turn black."
Toru squealed as he flew to where he saw Tsu while still holding tight to the rainbow haired girl.
Blackwhip reached out and gently picked up Tsu and Todoroki, bringing them both close to his chest before wrapping all three of his passengers in a black cocoon to try and warm them.
"I-I-I d-don't n-need y-your h-help," Todoroki shivered.
"This is where you say thank you. Like this. Thank you, Midori, you saved me," Toru snarked.
For his part, Izuku ignored Todoroki's protests as he applied Cell Activation to his passengers and flew back through the hole he had made and to the entrance of the Inferno zone where Tokoyami and Sero were just exiting.
"Woah, are they ok!?" Sero asked.
"Todoroki has frostbite and Tsu entered hibernation, but other than that, yes," He answered, releasing everyone but Tsu from the Blackwhip cocoon.
"Izuku?" Tsu croaked sleepily into his chest, drawing all of his attention.
"Tsu! Are you hurt anywhere!?" He asked in a panic, she didn't seem hurt but he couldn't be sure.
Tsu hummed against his chest,"Hmmm. Warm, comfy, smell good, the perfect mate."
"She's delirious!" Izuku cried in panic as he forced Cell Activation into Plus Ultra territory.
Toru squished his cheeks with her palms as she turned him to face her.
She was giggling.
"She's fiiine," She said with a laugh and a little exasperation.
"Are you sure?" He asked, unconvinced.
"Yes , yes, give her to me and go save everyone else, Handsome," She said, rolling her eyes at his worry.
He was reluctant to hand off Tsu but he trusted Toru with her.
Nejire landed next to him then.
"Is everyone out of the blizzard zone?" Nejire asked.
"Yes, Todoroki has some frostbite but other than that everyone's fine," Toru said as chipper as she could.
Nejire had an odd reaction to that, she narrowed her eyes at the heterochromatic boy with anger for some reason.
"We need to support the Courtyard," Izuku said, deciding that now wasn't the time to ask about her reaction.
"Agreed. Izuku, with me. Everyone else, retreat to the top of the stairs," Nejire commanded with experience.
"I can-" Todoroki started only for Nejire to snap at him.
"I wasn't asking! Go!"
Trusting that she would be obeyed, Nejire flew upwards and towards the Courtyard with Izuku following.
"What's the plan?' He asked his senpai.
"We have the element of surprise, we hit their leaders and we hit them hard," Nejire said without a trace of her usual bubbliness.
"Don't underestimate the big one, treat him like you would if you were fighting All Might. Rumi is never wrong about gauging an opponent," He warned.
"Let's hit the portal villain first. I'll hit him with everything then you fly in and finish him if I don't," Nejire instructed.
"Deal," He agreed.
They were above the Courtyard now.
Himiko and Rumi were circling Momo like sharks, putting down any villain that got too close to Momo with extreme prejudice.
Momo, left unchecked, was blasting villains left and right with her grenade launcher.
Some, doubtlessly Mei's handiwork, simply fell over spasming.
The rank and file villains were almost all taken care of. Midnight was stomping on the groin of some poor soul with a skull-faced gas mask while Eraserhead was slamming a mutated man into the pavement with his capture scarf. Thirteen was at the rear with hands spread to either side and Quirk ripping up concrete as if daring anyone to try and flank.
It occurred to Izuku that he had never seen his Mama or his teacher truly angry before and he had no wish for that ire to ever be pointed at him.
Nejire fired her Quirk at full power down at the portal villain.
A huge portal opened that swallowed the attack with ease, but Nejire continued to channel her full power into the attack as spirals blasting out of her feet towards the roof compensated for the recoil.
"That won't work a second ti-," The gaseous man said.
Izuku flew along the ground, Blackwhip yanking the portal villain away from his allies before he could even finish his taunt.
With the portal now gone, Nejire's attack fell upon the leader and his monstrosity.
The portal villain slammed into the courtyard with Izuku atop him once again.
"I warned you," Izuku said as he gripped the cage around the villain's real body and ripped. Metal tore away as easily as cardboard and Izuku slammed a fist into the newly made opening, striking something solid, the villain's movements ceasing.
"Nomu, swat her down."
Izuku looked up to see that the leader had been whisked away from Nejire's attack by the beaked monster.
The monster in question was already mid leap, heading straight for Nejire in a near blur.
He tried to intercept but he wasn't fast enough, not nearly.
The thing reached Nejire, who was just turning her head to see its approach, and slapped her bodily into the ground where she did not stir.
"NO!" Izuku screamed.
"Nomu, kill them all," The leader commanded, almost bored.
The thing moved so fast, he could barely even track it, even with Full Cowl speeding up his ocular processing.
Rumi could barely shove Himiko and Momo out of the way before it barreled into her and kept charging right for Eraserhead.
Rumi's crumpled body sliding to a stop near the water's edge of the flood zone.
Izuku's vision clouded over entirely with rage.
It was on Eraserhead and slamming his face into the now cratered ground before the man could even try and move.
It lifted his teacher's face from the ground, intent on finishing the job when Mei's bullet struck it, causing its muscles to spasm and giving Midnight enough time to surround its head in her Quirk.
Too far to help with that split second fight, Izuku launched himself for the leader.
There was a sonic boom as he broke the sound barrier, his fist cocked.
He struck with such tremendous force that nearby unconscious villains were swept away in the resulting gust.
Nomu stared down at him with lidless eyes.
The thing was not only able to withstand Midnight's gas but also move quick enough to intercept a supersonic attack aimed for its master.
Worst of all, it looked as if it had received no damage whatsoever.
It reached for his face.
Danger Sense triggered.
Time slowed.
Faster, he had to be faster!
Stronger, he had to be stronger!
He subconsciously pushed Black Cowl to 100% and Blackwhip past its limits to create claws as well as his exo-musculature. Viridian energy no longer arced off of him but through the faux muscles like blood through veins.
The monster looked as if it were moving through molasses now.
The monster pulled back a bleeding stump where its hand had once sat.
He watched as the hand began to quickly reform.
This thing was that strong, AND was capable of regeneration!?
The next thing he knew, Himiko wearing Rumi's form was nearby and licking the creature's blood off the ground.
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size!" She yelled as her shape began to change.
The gray mud-like substance exploded off her as she screamed and clutched at her head in immense pain, her screams silenced as the pain overwhelmed her and she fell to the ground.
Izuku lost all conscious thought then.
The thing swung for him again and again, only to pull away bleeding stumps again and again.
He could feel himself slowing for some reason though.
His body wasn't responding like it should.
That's when enough conscious thought invaded his mind to realize he was destroying every bone in his body keeping Black Cowl at 100% even if he couldn't feel it, his exo-musculature was the only thing keeping him together and moving.
He could hear shouting and bullets whizzing past, unable to reach their mark through the gale force winds caused by the fight.
At the rate he was slowing down, the thing would land a hit that he knew he couldn't take.
Then it would rip apart everyone else.
His Mama and Mom, girlfriends, his friends, his teacher.
He called on Cell Activation to work harder, to keep him fighting for longer.
It heeded his call.
His entire body glowed with a green aura as he felt his body beginning to respond more dutifully.
It still wasn't enough, he was still slowing even if it wasn't at such a rate.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Hitoshi on the sidelines fumbling with dials on his mask.
"Nomu, incapacitate yourself!" The villain leader seemed to say despite his lips not moving.
Without an instant of hesitation, Nomu reached up with a newly regrown hand and squished its own brain between its fingers as easily as someone might squash a grape.
"CHEATER!" The leader screeched.
The monster began to slump forward dead but Izuku couldn't bring himself to care, his adrenaline pumping and his rage unsated.
He was on the shrieking man-child far faster than the villain seemed to anticipate, but still able to reach a hand for his face at the last second regardless.
Izuku grabbed the outstretched arm by the wrist and squeezed hard enough that he could hear the bones in the man's forearm click together before they splintered in his grasp.
A portal opened behind the man as he screeched in pain and tried pulling his arm away with the aid of the other.
"Shigaraki! We must retreat!" The voice of that thrice damned portal villain said as the portal began to sweep forward to encapsulate 'Shigaraki'.
That name felt familiar.
'Impossible!' The voice of Shigaraki Yoichi screamed in his head.
'Kill him!' The first yelled.
'KILL HIM!' The amalgamation of every vestige's voice began screaming over and over again in his mind.
Izuku yanked on Shigaraki's shattered wrist, not about to let him escape.
'KILL!' The vestiges roared inside him as the man began to be pulled out of the portal.
Izuku reared back his free hand, claws extended, ready to plunge into the man's chest the instant it came within view.
The portal swept forward again and closed on Shigaraki's wrist, severing it.
'NO!' The vestiges screamed in outrage as Shigaraki escaped.
A thunderous crash sounded from above him as natural light entered the USJ for the first time.
He could hear faculty shouting from the top of the stairs.
All Might landed right in front of him, steam pouring off him just like when he had first met him on that rooftop.
He looked as exhausted as Izuku suddenly felt. His head was pounding and it felt like every nerve ending was on fire.
Izuku let the severed hand drop as his body and Quirk finally gave out.
"Young Midoriya!" All Might yelled in worry as Izuku collapsed into unconsciousness.