The Thrill of Destruction
The episode starts in the Police HQ, where officers are monitoring the ongoing raid.
"Why are they showing these useless fucks instead of updating us on what's happening with Shigaraki?" Bakugo grumbled aloud. Everyone beside him was silent, eagerly anticipating the aftermath of Shigaraki's awakening.
"Team Endeavor advance guard will complete the evacuation of Jaku Hospital soon," one of the female officers informed.
"The neutralization team that headed in to secure Garaki is still fighting Nomus on the surface," another female officer reported.
"The Nomus Mirko encountered underground were the talking type and it looks like there were multiple," a male officer stated. "Endeavor, Crust, and some others have gone to support Mirko."
"But we weren't fast enough..." Endeavor said, sounding disappointed in himself.
"Cut it out, old man," Mirko said, dismissively waving her hand. "Like I said earlier, there are always risks involved in these kinds of missions, and, more importantly, none of us could have guessed that the creepy doctor had five High-Ends ready to mess things up."
"...if you say so," Endeavor said, not entirely convinced by his fellow hero's words.
"Evacuation of the hospital staff and patients is complete," another officer informed. "The heroes who were on the evacuation team will join the neutralization team." We see the Wild Wild Pussycats and other rescue heroes rushing into the hospital.
"Well, at least the civilians are safe," Ochako said. "Hopefully, they won't get caught up in whatever is going to happen next."
"Force ratio is reversed. It is now possible to eliminate ground-level Nomus at the early stages," we see Ryukyu, Rock Lock, Gran Torino, Thirteen, and other heroes fighting white and grey-colored Nomus.
'I shouldn't be up here dealing with this useless trash. I should be down there, facing High-Ends, alongside Rumi... and other heroes, of course,' Ruykyu clenched her fist in frustration. 'At first, I thought my size would be a problem, but if that Chunky bastard can fit in there, so can I in my dragon form.'
"Only the Nomus underground are left, huh? Talking Nomus..." one of the higher-ranking officers remarked. "They're called the High-End type. If they're the same as what appeared in Kyushu, then their Quirks and physical ability will surpass those of a typical Nomu, and they will have exceptional self-regeneration abilities." We witness a fight between Hood and Hawks & Endeavor. "That Nomu was barely able to be defeated by the top two heroes. To have more than one of them..." and then silence fell after that comment.
"And they don't even know about Shigaraki yet," Hawks said, smiling bitterly to himself. He knew that quite a few high-ranking officers must be patting themselves on the back for this 'successful' operation and would like to have their names all over the official report, without even contributing anything meaningful to this mission.
Now we return to the underground lab at Jaku Hospital, focusing on the precise moment when X-Less notices a mysterious machine. Meanwhile, Shigaraki lies dead on the ground, surrounded by a pool of medical solution, next to him.
Once again, all the noise in the auditorium ceased as everyone's attention became fixated on the screen.
"What was that machine? Is it still working because it was cushioned by the tubes?" X-Less exclaimed, noticing the machine standing undamaged amidst the wreckage. "I'll break it," he declared, unleashing his quirk, Laser, to obliterate the machine.
"I'm glad X-Less destroyed that machine," Jeanist said. "No matter how insignificant that machine may seem, we don't want any unexpected surprises, especially now that Shigaraki is awake."
Meanwhile, electricity coursed through the nearby wires, and unfortunately, an exposed wire made contact with the medical solution on the ground, sending an electric jolt surging through the pool. The shock awakened Shigaraki from his suspended state, abruptly snapping him back to consciousness.
"This is bullshit," Setsuna exclaimed. "I mean, come on! How incredibly lucky do you have to be for so many things to align and revive you like that?"
"What's new about that? Lately, it feels like all the luck is on the villains' side," Monoma added in a bitter voice.
Observing the unexpected turn of events, X-Less turned his gaze to the side and was astonished to see Shigaraki, who was presumed to be dead, sitting there and clutching himself. "It's cold..." Shigaraki whispered, in a raspy voice.
And at that very moment, Izuku Midoriya felt chills run down his spine as soon as he heard Shigaraki's voice. It wasn't just the fear of what that madman would do, but also the gut-wrenching feeling that One for All was currently giving him.
Meanwhile, in another section of the lab, Crust engaged in a fierce battle with the Trunk Nomu. "Shoot Shield!" Crust commanded, executing one of his signature moves that caused the Trunk Nomu to bleed and scream in agony.
"This is with its Quirks erased?! What a tough bastard," Crust's sidekick said.
"So... even Erasure isn't a completely safe and foolproof way to deal with High-Ends," Momo said, tapping her pen on her notepad. "I suppose preventing that doctor from ever unleashing them into the world is the only effective way to handle those creatures."
"But Crust is still incredibly impressive for holding his own against those Nomus," Kirishima said with a wide grin.
'I can't look away from these guys right now,' Aizawa thought, his gaze fixed on the Chunky Nomu and Antenna Nomu before him. 'If Endeavor can lure the other one over here...'
"Easier said than done," Endeavor grumbled under his breath. He couldn't deny the fact that having Eraser Head's support was an invaluable asset in combat, especially when facing Nomus with their regeneration abilities. But right now, he didn't have that luxury. He wasn't just going to fight a Nomu; he also had to defend a fellow hero in the process.
Meanwhile...
"I want to feel even better, Number One!" taunted the White-Haired Nomu as it unleashed an attack on Endeavor, who swiftly defended himself using his fire, shielding both himself and Mirko, who lay behind him.
'I can't leave Mirko!' Endeavor declared, his gaze briefly shifting to Mirko, who struggled to maintain her balance as she stood up.
There were many things that Mirko disliked, but one thing she despised above all else was being a liability in the field. Unfortunately, something similar was currently unfolding on the screen. 'If only I were stronger...' she thought to herself, tightly clenching her fist in frustration.
"Rumi-"
"Don't..." Ryukyu tried to console her friend, but Mirko cut her off. "I don't need that right now."
Ryukyu sighed in defeat. After all, she too felt the same kind of frustration, seeing the condition Mirko was in at the moment.
"Endeavor, want me to take a kick?" offered Mirko, determined to assist despite her unsteady footing.
"You stay still!" Endeavor commanded.
"You know, the way Mirko is acting right now kind of reminds me of Midoriya during the summer camp attack," Shoji said, capturing everyone's attention, especially Mirko's.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Momo asked. Although she was present during the attack on their campsite, she didn't interact with Izuku at that time. It was only after the incident that she learned about his heavy hand injuries.
"Now that you mention it, yeah... Deku was running around the camp with two broken hands," Ochako said, giving a grimacing smile.
"And when we told him he shouldn't move too much, he glared at us and said he was alright," Shoto added. "His voice and eyes were quite intense when he said that."
"Come on, guys, it wasn't that bad," Izuku said, trying to reason with everyone.
"No, it was bad," Aizawa said with a stern glare. "You were literally running on adrenaline that day, and if I had better options, I would have never allowed you to go back when I saw you with Kota at that time."
"But if I had stopped that day, who would have warned everyone that they were after Kacchan and that the students were allowed to fight back?" Izuku asked, sounding a little frustrated. "That day, after I knocked Muscular out, all I could think about was 'What if the other villains who attacked us are just as strong as he was? Then everyone is in danger.' That thought alone was enough to push me past my limits because as long as my body could move to save someone, I had to keep going. I owed it to them."
As soon as Izuku finished his explanation, nobody could say anything in return. Some had wanted to argue or counter Izuku's words, but the conviction in his voice left them speechless.
"Of course, Toshi had to choose a self-sacrificing idiot like himself," Gran Torino grumbled under his breath, observing a proud smile on All Might's face.
He launched another attack, unleashing the "Hell Spider" towards the White-Haired Nomu. However, the agile Nomu effortlessly evaded all the strands of fire, lunging towards Endeavor with the intent to attack. Just as the Nomu was about to strike, Gran Torino arrived on the scene, delivering a powerful kick to the Nomu's back, effectively saving Endeavor from the imminent assault.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Gran Torino exclaimed as he hovered in the air. "Good job hanging in there. Leave the rest to us!"
"Thanks for your assistance, Gran Torino," Endeavor said gratefully. "You've always come to our aid whenever we were in trouble," he added, recalling all the times Gran Torino had helped them in the past year.
"Don't worry about it, Todoroki. It's a side effect of getting acquainted with this fool," Gran Torino said, pointing at All Might, who averted his eyes with a sheepish smile.
Ryukyu, Backdraft, and Rock Lock arrived at the location where Aizawa and Crust were, ready to join the fight.
"We are fine here. Go help Endeavor in the back!" Aizawa commanded them.
"Got it," Ryukyu responded, swiftly making her way towards Endeavor, transforming into her dragon form. "Locklock, Backdraft, come with me!"
"Finally..." Ryukyu said, but her joy was short-lived as she immediately remembered that Shigaraki was already awake and Rumi had already sustained irreversible damage to her body. This realization dampened her mood once again.
As Ryukyu arrived at the scene, she witnessed Gran Torino locked in combat with the White-Haired Nomu. Reacting swiftly, the heroes sprang into action. Backdraft unleashed a water attack to distract Nomu, while Rock Lock utilized his quirk to immobilize the Nomu's leg under the rubble. Seeing an opportunity, Gran Torino struck at the Nomu's brain, taking a chunk out of it but unfortunately, it immediately regenerated.
"Thanks for your help," Endeavor expressed his gratitude as he hurriedly approached the group. "It's my turn now!" He clenched his fist and bellowed, "Flashfire Fist... Jetburn!" Unleashing a surge of intense flames, Endeavor delivered a devastating uppercut to the White-Haired Nomu, decapitating it in a single powerful strike.
Meanwhile, Aizawa's group also managed to subdue the remaining three Nomus. rubbed his "Is it over?" Aizawa said rubbing his eyes in exhaustion.
"Did they really do it? Did the heroes really put down those Nomus for good?" Mina asked, her voice filled with hope.
"We can't be certain of that," Nezu replied. "Well, the one that Endeavor defeated certainly appears to be down for good, but as for the others, we can't be sure until we receive confirmation that they are no longer regenerating."
"Eraser! I got him!" Mic called out to Aizawa as he arrived, carrying Garaki with him. Aizawa nodded in acknowledgment, his gaze fixed on the doctor with a piercing glare.
The creepy doctor received three more sets of glares from the audience.
Returning to the scene with Shigaraki, we see him slowly rising to his feet, clutching himself in an eerie manner.
"Wh-Why...?!" X-Less stammered with a trembling voice, fear evident in his eyes.
Shigaraki turned his attention towards the hero, and just as X-Less was about to launch an attack, Shigaraki swiftly grabbed X-Less's face, triggering his decay Quirk that rapidly spread throughout X-Less's entire body, leaving only his cape behind. Then, Shigaraki picked up the cape from the ground and wrapped it around himself, muttering, "Oh, it's cold... It's too cold..." in a chilling tone.
Nobody could say a single word as everyone in the audience witnessed that scene. Shigaraki had turned a living, breathing man into dust in an instant, simply by placing a hand on his face. They were aware of Shigaraki's quirk and how it worked, but despite that, it was one thing to know about it and an entirely different matter to see it happen right before their eyes.
Meanwhile, instinctively, Izuku reached out and grabbed Momo's hand, his grip tight as he vividly recalled the sensation of Shigaraki's fingers on his neck, realizing just how close he had come to death. Momo looked at him with concerned eyes.
*3 minutes earlier *
The scene transitions to the Gunga Villa, focusing on the precise moment when Tokoyami's attention was caught by the sight of blue flames emanating from one of the windows of the villa.
Tokoyami, who noticed the blue flames, jumped out of Fatgum's stomach, much to his protest. "You can't, Tsukuyomi! You can't go out there!" Fatgum yelled, but it was of no use since Tokoyami was already rushing towards the blue flames.
Aizawa smacked his hand on his forehead and let out a disappointed sigh. Of course, Tokoyami was running towards the villa at the first sign of danger. If he didn't, he wouldn't be a member of the hell class.
"What're you doing, idiot?!" Kaminari exclaimed in disbelief.
"Don't do it, 'shroom!" Kinoko pleaded urgently.
"Hawks is on the top floor! He's probably in trouble! I'm going to help him!" Tokoyami said before flying towards the villa.
"And I'm telling you once again that you can't be sure I'm in the same place right now," Hawks said.
"But even if that's the case, I still can't ignore the fact that you might be in danger," Tokoyami retorted.
"Of course, you can't," Hawks replied with a tired sigh.
'I knew that he was strong, but he's the first person to break free of my fat! Jeez!' Fatgum thought as he saw Tokoyami in the distance. "You three, run from here!" Fatgum said, freeing Kaminari, Kinoko, and Honenuki from his stomach. "Get to the rear guard and tell your friends not to worry!" He then began chasing after Tokoyami, shouting, "Hey! I won't let you steal a ride on Fataxi!"
"Fatgum, I apologize for causing you so much trouble in such a crucial situation," Tokoyami said, facing Fatgum and bowing his head.
"Well, I won't say it was no problem, considering you refused to follow orders and ran into the battlefield where anything could happen at a moment's notice," Fatgum said. "That being said, I can't bring myself to scold you knowing the reason behind your actions."
The scene switched, and now we find ourselves on the top floor of Gunga Villa, where Dabi stood poised to deliver the final blow to Hawks.
"Later, Hawks," Dabi said, intensifying the flames around him. "I don't care... whether you live or die, either!" Just as he was about to strike, Tokoyami suddenly arrived, kicking Dabi away from Hawks. Tokoyami then positioned himself protectively in front of Hawks.
"Well, it seems Tokoyami's gamble paid off," Izuku said. "Even if it was by a hair's breadth, I'm glad that Tokoyami was able to save Hawks."
"But now he's up against an opponent who uses fire, one of his biggest weaknesses," Momo frowned. "I hope he manages to escape from there unharmed."
"Fumikage, this is bad," Dark Shadow said, wrapping Hawks in Tokoyami's cloak. "Hawks's back... is gone! His wings... have burned...!"
People in the audience winced as they witnessed the extent of the damage that Hawks had suffered.
Hawks himself felt an uneasy sensation in his stomach as he surveyed the condition of his on-screen self. Not only was his back severely burned and deformed due to Dabi's flames, but almost all of his feathers had also been reduced to cinders.
"You're from U.A..." Dabi said, staring at Tokoyami. "What a loser! You even dragged out a student?" he taunted Hawks.
Tokoyami's glare intensified as he fixed his gaze on the screen, and Dark Shadow emitted a low growl in response to Dabi's taunt.
"Look at this, kid," Dabi pointed at the lifeless body of Twice. "That guy killed him. He stabbed him in the back as he ran to save his friends," he said as Tokoyami stared at him wide-eyed.
"That's not the whole truth. We all saw Hawks give numerous chances to Twice to switch sides, but it was Twice who chose to remain a villain until the bitter end," Nejire complained upon hearing Dabi's words.
"Yeah, he's making it sound like Hawks is the villain and pretending that he killed an innocent man," Mirio added with a frown.
"I think it depends on which side of the war you're on," Ryukyu explained. "For heroes, Twice was a necessary casualty to prevent him from overwhelming us with his clones and causing immense damage to innocent people. But for the villains, Twice was their friend, and in their eyes, Hawks, the one who killed him, is the villain. Additionally, Dabi is also trying to manipulate Tokoyami into letting his guard down."
"Well? What did you come here for? Did you come to save him?" Dabi said, while in the background, Mt. Lady destroyed a part of the villa. "What did you come to save? Those pros you admire so much play dirtier than guys like me."
"Toko... yami..." Hawks mumbled, barely clinging to consciousness.
Tokoyami rushed to his mentor's side, holding him close. He glared at Dabi and said, "I am only concerned for my teacher."
"Think for yourself, fool!" Dabi retorted, launching his flames at Tokoyami with a maniacal grin.
'I am thinking for myself,' Tokoyami thought to himself with a frown. 'Besides, if given a choice between saving my mentor or not, it doesn't take a genius to figure out the right choice.'
'It's too cramped! I can't dodge it completely!' Tokoyami thought, narrowly avoiding Dabi's attack while simultaneously shielding Hawks.
"Sorry, Fumikage!" Dark Shadow whimpered, feeling the heat of Dabi's flames.
'The light of the flames means I can't use Dark Shadow's power,' Tokoyami thought.
"Fumi~ I am so sorry," Dark Shadow said with teary eyes. "If only I were stronger, you and Hawks wouldn't be in this situation."
"It's not your fault. Fire is our inherent weakness, and we can't change that," Tokoyami said, patting Dark Shadow's back. "That's why instead of crying over it, we should focus on defeating our opponents before they even have a chance to attack."
"You're right, Fumi. Let's work on that," Dark Shadow said, its voice filled with newfound enthusiasm.
'I need to get away from here as quickly as possible and treat Hawks's injuries!'
"He's still talking..." Hawks whispered to Tokoyami.
"Of course, he is..." many in the audience said, rolling their eyes in exasperation.
"Think about it, you BBQ'ed birds. Who do you think really needs rescuing?" Dabi mocked Tokoyami.
"Your orders?" Tokoyami asked Hawks.
'Because he was too focused on his conversation with me, he didn't manage to finish me off,' Hawks thought. 'But he's doing the same thing again. I don't think it's because this is easy for him. He's trying to throw us off guard and stall for time. The flames he released just now were a lot weaker than before. Which means... he can't fire in rapid succession anymore. So...'
"Oh, that's great information. We could definitely use it when fighting against Dabi," Izuku said as he updated his information on Dabi. "Now that I think about it, all those injuries on his body look like burn marks... strange."
"Hmm, what's so strange about that?" Ochako asked curiously.
"Think about it, Dabi has a fire quirk similar to Endeavor, so shouldn't he also have a resistance to fire just like him as well?" Izuku pondered. "So unless he was involved in a very horrific accident, he really shouldn't have those kinds of burn marks on him."
"When you put it that way, it does seem strange," Ochako replied.
Endeavor, who was listening to their conversation, thought to himself, 'Maybe his body is not suitable for his quirk, just like...' But he quickly dismissed the thought. 'No, it must be something else.'
"Now... go..." Upon Hawks's command, Tokoyami immediately launched an attack on Dabi. Although Dabi managed to dodge, it provided enough time for Tokoyami to jump off the side of the balcony, with Dark Shadow grabbing onto the railings. They managed to make it to a lower floor, but Hawks ended up unconscious from the impact of their landing.
"Sorry, Hawks!" Tokoyami apologized, frustration evident in his voice.
"You really shouldn't apologize in moments like these," Hawks said. "Instead, you should be glad that we both managed to escape with our lives intact."
"But we still haven't escaped from danger," Tokoyami protested.
"Focus on the positives, kid," Hawks replied.
At that moment, Mt. Lady stood at the front entrance of the villa.
"Lady, block the passage to the underground!" a hero requested Mt. Lady.
"Roger!" Mt. Lady responded as she swung a concrete pillar into place.
"Finally, I'm doing something," Mt. Lady said cheerfully but quickly calmed down when she realized that the collective mood of the room was down in the dumps right now.
"Dark Shadow, there's no light here," Tokoyami said as he cradled unconscious Hawks in his arms. "Dark Fallen Angel!" he commanded, and just as Dark Shadow was about to envelop Tokoyami's body, Dabi reappeared, using his flames on his feet to descend.
"I thought something like this might happen, so I saved up by making the last two shots weak!" Dabi said, preparing to unleash a charged flame attack on a terrified Tokoyami. "Goodbye!"
"Tokoyami!" the collective shouts of worry rose in the audience as they witnessed Dabi about to launch a powerful attack on the young hero.
However, just before Dabi could launch his attack, a massive pillar of ice emerged from between them, creating a window of opportunity for Tokoyami to fly away from there.
"Ice!?" Todoroki exclaimed, his eyes widening as he observed the screen. "But I'm at Juku with Midoriya and the others."
"It seems there's a formidable ice user among the enemy ranks, as we don't have anyone with that level of power on our side," Endeavor remarked.
"Of course, you would have noticed if there was a powerful ice user like that," Shoto muttered under his breath.
"Wh-what's that?!" Outside the villa, Fatgum noticed large pillars of ice emerging from the ground. The force of the ice sent Mt. Lady flying backward, nearly squishing Fat Gum underneath her bottom.
"Umm, so embarrassing," Yu muttered, hiding her flushed face behind her hands. "Especially when I was finally doing something useful."
"Don't get in Re-Destro's way any longer!" Geten declared, standing on one of his ice pillars. "Don't think that you'll have an easy death, you government dogs."
"Geten, sir!" one of the MLA soldiers called out.
"Their net around us has been pushed out!" Geten commanded the soldiers. "Don't fight randomly. It's what they want! Gather in one place and open up a hole!"
"So he's really a villain, huh... what a shame," Mina said with a disappointed frown.
"I know, right?" Toru agreed. "Why did he have to be a villain when he has such pretty eyes?"
"Fucking morons, stop losing your shit over some villain scum," Bakugo growled, glaring at the two girls. "Idiots like you think that even if a person runs over a mother and child, they should be set free just because they're good-looking."
"Hey! We never said that!" Mina and Toru retorted in unison.
Elsewhere, "Ow... That ice bastard really let loose," Dabi muttered, recovering from the attack. "Oh, well. I guess I'll just start early," he said, glancing up at the sky.
Once again, Dabi's words put everyone on edge. By now, one thing they have clearly understood is that Dabi is a madman. Unfortunately, he is a madman with many secrets and an unidentified goal that was fueling his madness.
Meanwhile, as Tokoyami flew away from the villa, his mind dwelled on Dabi's words about Hawks taking a life. "You don't play dirty, Hawks!" Tokoyami exclaimed, his eyes welling up with tears. "I believe in you! We all believe- That you did what was right! So don't die!"
"I guess, Tokoyami, you must be feeling differently now, considering how you personally witnessed me taking Twice's life," Hawks said with a self-deprecating laugh.
"Honestly, I don't know how to feel about that," Tokoyami responded in an earnest voice. "I would be lying if I said that I didn't feel anything upon seeing my mentor take a life. However, one thing I can say for sure is that I neither hate you nor see you as a villain because of it."
"He is right, Hawks. Even though what you did was not something a hero should do, it wasn't done without reason or due to a personal grudge," Aizawa said. "And my students are not naive to not realize that."
In the underground assembly hall of the villa which was trembling from the fights going on above ground, Re-Destro was sitting on the ground since both of his prosthetic legs were completely shattered during his clash with Dark Shadow. "How's the battle going?! Where are my spare legs?!" Re-Destro exclaimed in an irritated voice.
"Re-Destro," someone called out to him in a trembling voice.
"What is it?" Re-Destro snapped at the man.
The man didn't respond. Instead, he simply pointed at Gigantomachia, the towering giant who had now risen to his feet.
"I smell my master. He's... awake," Gigantomachia declared, revealing a glimpse of Shigaraki standing in the underground lab of Jaku Hospital, wrapped in X-Less's cape.
"Great, not only is Shigaraki awake, but now this thing has decided to move as well," Gran Torino said in a bitter voice.
"The only saving grace is that he is away from Shigaraki, and there are many heroes there who will be able to stop him," All Might said in a hopeful voice.
"Idiot! Did you not hear what I said before? That thing can cause massive destruction just by swinging its arm," Gran Torino said, while All Might rubbed the area of his head where Gran Torino had hit him.
The scene shifted to Jaku City, where the evacuation was progressing smoothly under Burnin's leadership.
"This whole area may become part of the villain fighting zone," Burnin remarked as she helped evacuate the people. "Please tell us if anyone in your family or any of your neighbors has limited mobility or if you can't get in contact with any of them."
'This girl... she is a loudmouth, but she's really reliable when the situation calls for it,' Endeavor thought to himself. 'I'm glad I decided to keep her on the team, even when I wasn't a very... likable person back then.'
"Police vans will take you from here. Get out of the city!" Bakugo urged, but when an elderly woman offered him a cookie, he yelled at her instead. "It'll make me thirsty! Just go already!"
"Bakugo... please stop yelling at civilians," Jeanist said in a tired voice.
"She's being nice. You should take it." Ochako intervened.
"You just want a chocolate bun, don't you?!" Bakugo snapped back at Ochako, who simply grinned in response.
"He even acts like that with the elderly, huh?" Tsu remarked, observing Bakugo as he reluctantly accepted a cookie from the elderly lady.
"Frog face, Round Cheeks stop criticizing me," Bakugo glared at them.
"Huh? I don't know what you are talking about," Tsu and Ochako said in a nonchalant voice fueling Bakugo's anger even more.
"I've got an analog manuscript that needs to go to the printer! Please don't destroy my building!" one of the civilians pleaded.
"We will make sure to protect your important manuscript!" Iida reassured the civilian, urging him to move forward.
"There's a fucking evacuation going on, and all that man can think about is his stupid manuscript," Kamakiri grumbled.
Next, we witness Anima (Koda) utilizing his quirk, Anivoice, to escort animals while also gathering information about their surroundings with the assistance of birds. "This is Anima. Evacuation of the fifth ward is complete!"
Then we notice Nejire hovering nearby, utilizing her quirk, Surge, to stay afloat. "Hey, hey, it looks like we'll be done here after we transport this group," she remarked.
"We will check the nursing homes and apartment buildings once more to make sure no one is still inside," Iida communicated through the comms.
"Please wait in the shelter outside the city for the time being," Burnin instructed as she walked alongside the other hero students, assisting in the evacuation of the remaining civilians out of the city.
"They are doing a great job at evacuating and reassuring people, considering they are only first-year students," Ryukyu complimented U.A.'s first-year students.
"Huh? But I'm not a first-year student," Nejire said, tilting her head cutely.
"Nejire... darling, I wasn't talking about you," Ryukyu said with a small smile on her lips.
Izuku, who was walking behind them, was giving instructions to the civilians. "If anyone is feeling unwell, don't hesitate to..." However, he suddenly heard a voice inside his head, causing him to come to a halt. 'Coming, he's coming. Stop him,' the voice echoed in his mind.
'This voice that's echoing inside my head is...' Izuku pondered, feeling a gut-wrenching sensation.
"That voice..." Izuku mumbled with wide eyes, not caring about the curious gazes fixed on him.
"Izuku, what's going on?" Momo asked in a worried voice. "Do you recognize the voice on the screen?"
Izuku glanced at her and said, "That voice... that voice belongs to the first."
"The first?" curious voices rose from the audience.
"Wait a minute! Young Midoriya, are you saying..." All Might asked with wide eyes.
"Yeah, the first holder of One for All," Izuku confirmed, nodding at All Might, who appeared equally stunned by the revelation.
Shoto, noticing Izuku's pause, turned around and asked, "Midoriya, what's wrong?"
"Stop slacking off!" Bakugo interjected, yelling at Midoriya. "What's the big idea?!"
"Bakugo, can't you stop yelling for a moment and take the time to notice how he is spacing out?" Ochako said as she glared at Bakugo.
"Deku always spaces out, what's new in that?" Bakugo retorted with a scoff. "Besides, how am I supposed to know that Deku has voices in his head now?"
Meanwhile, Izuku was deep in thought. 'This voice... The first... One For All... It's the voice of the first wielder!' Izuku realized, recalling the image of the first wielder of One for All that came to his mind. 'He's never interfered since then...'
"Since when Izuku?" Momo asked.
"Well... if I'm not mistaken, it was after Eri's rescue when I had a dream about The First and the other holders. In that dream, The First told me about the origin of One for All and mentioned that he wanted to show me more. However, he hasn't contacted me since then... until the events on the screen," Izuku explained.
"Oh, I see," Momo said, though Izuku could see a faint excitement in her eyes. "So, after this, will you tell me about the origin of your quirk? I'm really interested in knowing how this two-centuries-old quirk came to be."
"Sure," Izuku replied, still uncertain about how everyone would feel when they realized where One for All actually originated from.
'The backlash is coming,' the first wielder warned Izuku. 'I don't have long to talk,' Izuku's gaze shifted towards the mountain where Jaku Hospital stood, his face growing paler with every passing second. 'Freed from the shackles of humanity, with increasing power... Someone transcendent is coming. Stop him.'
"That... doesn't sound good," Kaminari said with a strained smile.
"You think, bootleg Pikachu?" Bakugo grumbled at Kaminari, his own restlessness apparent upon hearing the warning.
Meanwhile, Izuku was lost in his own thoughts, 'I have to stop him... I have to stop Shigaraki... but how... how can I do that?'
The scene switches to various glimpses of the ongoing Jaku Hospital raid. Firstly, Shigaraki is still standing in the location where he was revived. Then, Endeavor, Ryukyu, Rock Lock, and other heroes are seen concluding their battles with the Nomus. Following that, Thirteen and the other heroes are engaged in combat with the heavily injured Trunk Nomu and Chunky Nomu.
"Just as I thought, aside from the White-Haired Nomu that Endeavor defeated, there are still others active and causing trouble for heroes," Nezu said.
Next, we see Mirko, gravely injured, lying on the ground, gritting her teeth in pain. Lastly, Mic and Aizawa are shown standing at the entrance of the inner lab, with Mic carrying Garaki in his arms.
"Ugh~, why do I have to carry that disgusting man around with me? Can't I just knock him out and drop him somewhere?" Mic said, with a disgusted expression on his face.
"Mic, you can't do that," Aizawa said with a sigh. "Even though that doctor is despicable and shouldn't be considered human, he can still provide us with a lot of useful information... especially regarding the possibility of reversing the Nomu transformation."
Suddenly, the lab behind Mic began to crumble and break apart. Aizawa attempted to warn Mic, but it was too late. Destruction had already reached them, with Garaki laughing like a madman.
The calm atmosphere in the room immediately vanished as soon as the audience noticed what was happening on the screen.
"Mic, get away from there!" Midnight exclaimed, while Aizawa stared at the screen with worry and fear in his eyes.
Mic took a deep breath, preparing to defend himself with his quirk, but before he could act, Gran Torino swiftly rushed towards them and pushed Present Mic and Garaki out of harm's way.
Midnight and Aizawa sighed in relief as they saw Mic being dragged away from the crumbling disaster.
"Thanks, old man. You saved my sorry ass back there," Mic said with a grateful smile.
"Of course, you can't do a damn thing right without this old man's help," Gran Torino huffed in response.
'This is Shigaraki's Decay,' Gran Torino stated, his mind racing with thoughts as he witnessed the rapid spread of destruction around them. 'But it's spreading to the things they're touching. The only information we had about Shigaraki's improved Quirk... Is this what it meant?'
"Everyone, evacuate! Don't touch the cracks! You'll die!" Gran Torino warned everyone as he carried Mic and Garaki away from the crumbling lab.
"So... that means Shigaraki can continue decaying everything in his path unless someone forcefully makes him stop," Momo said.
"No, that's not possible, right..." Kendo said in a panicked voice. "Even if it's evolved, it's still a quirk, right? There has to be some drawback or upper limit to how much he can decay, right?"
"But is Shigaraki even human anymore?" Setsuna asked. "Didn't that doctor turn him into a Nomu or something?"
"Oh, right..." Kendo said, unable to come up with any hopeful retort anymore.
Outside the hospital, the birds began fluttering away, sensing the imminent danger. Izuku stood frozen, his gaze fixed on the direction of the hospital. "The hospital..." he murmured, capturing the attention of his classmates.
"Midoriya..." Aizawa said in a stern voice. "I hope you're not planning on heading towards the hospital."
Izuku didn't respond. Instead, he just stared at the ground, intensifying Aizawa's glare.
Inside the hospital, everything was descending into chaos as everything around the heroes was crumbling apart. Amidst the destruction, Ryukyu soared through the air in her dragon form, carrying multiple heroes on her massive form. Spotting Aizawa nearby, she called out to him, "Get on!"
"Ryukyu, isn't turning into your Dragon form a disadvantage right now, 'ribbit'?" Tsu asked.
"That might be the case, but we don't have a whole lot of other options at our disposal," Ryukyu replied.
Aizawa wasted no time, gripping one of Ryukyu's large nails with his capture weapon, securing his hold. However, their escape was abruptly hindered as the Antenna Nomu tightly gripped Aizawa's leg, threatening to tear his capture scarf.
"Damn it! Why do my friends constantly find themselves in life-threatening situations?" Nemuri exclaimed in frustration. "First, Hizashi almost got decayed, and now this," she sighed, silently pleading, 'Please let Shota be alright... please... I can't lose another friend... I just can't.'
Meanwhile, Mirko glared at Antenna Nomu with all the animosity she could muster.
Then the Nomu itself began to decay, disintegrating under the devastating effects of Shigaraki's power. But before the decay could reach Aizawa, Crust swiftly intervened, launching a shield that severed the Nomu's hand and saved Aizawa from further harm.
"Hell yeah!" Kirishima and Tetsutetsu cheered as they saw Crust heroically swoop in and save Aizawa from the decay and Nomu who was gripping his leg.
"Let's go, Crust!" Tetsutetsu cheered.
"Yeah, show them the power of defensive quirks!" Kirishima cheered in agreement.
However, their joy quickly turned into shock and horror in the very next scene...
However, Crust wasn't so lucky, as he succumbed to the effects of decay. Even in his last moments, he had a smile on his face as he turned to dust, giving a thumbs up to Aizawa, who cries out his name in horror.
"Oh no... not Crust," Kirishima said in a hushed voice, though his words were still audible amidst the somber silence that had fallen over the hall.
Aizawa lowered his head in shame, tears welling up in his eyes, with one thought constantly swirling in his mind. 'How many... how many more lives will be sacrificed for my own sake,' he thought, consumed by a deep sense of self-loathing burning in his heart.
The heroes desperately flee from the incoming chaos as the decay begins to spread out of the hospital and into the city, destroying all the surrounding buildings and areas. As the decay continues to spread throughout the city, we witness a group of heroes instantly turning to dust.
The deadly silence and the sense of dread that had already permeated the room deepened as they witnessed the devastating effects of decay. It mercilessly destroyed everything in its path, raging through buildings, cars, roads, and even the heroes present in the city at that time, reducing them all to dust.
Not only the students, but even the experienced pro heroes felt a crippling fear in their hearts, realizing the magnitude of calamity that a single person could unleash.
Then we witness the Pussy Cats running away from Decay. Suddenly, Pixie-Bob turns around and attempts to use her quirk, Earth Flow, in an effort to halt the spreading of Decay. However, this proves ineffective as Pixie-Bob hopelessly stares at the crumbling earth. Just as all seems lost, her teammate Tiger comes to her rescue, swiftly picking her up under his arms and resuming their escape.
'Oh no!' Izuku thought, his eyes widening with fear as he saw Pixie-Bob sitting there, helplessly facing the encroaching wave of decay. 'Kota will be devastated and lose whatever little hope he had in heroes if he loses his aunt, especially after losing his parents.' However, his fear turned into a sigh of relief as Tiger swiftly rescued Pixie-Bob from the clutches of decay, sparing her from turning to dust.
Emerging from the swirling dust, the heroes trapped inside the hospital finally escape the nightmarish decay.
The dreaded atmosphere in the room lightened slightly as they all felt a sense of relief upon seeing the heroes successfully escaping the crumbling hospital.
"We were completely beaten." Garaki declared, his voice filled with a mixture of arrogance and madness. As the devastation unfolded around them, with buildings, cars, and everything connected crumbling into dust, he continued, "You heroes prepared a lot for this day, right? But now, a miracle—or as you might say, 'Plus Ultra'—Tomura Shigaraki has awakened!"
"That's it. I am going to punt this asshole doctor into the ground as soon as I see him," Bakugo growled in anger and frustration. Right now, he was experiencing a feeling that he despised the most... the feeling of powerlessness and weakness. Bakugo loathed admitting it, but witnessing Shigaraki effortlessly turn people into dust made his legs shake and filled him with doubt about whether he could even stand in the same room as him... a thought he detested with all of his passion.
The scene transitions to a birds-eye view of the destruction caused by Shigaraki so far. The scale of the devastation becomes apparent as the city lies in ruins. Garaki's laughter echoes in the background as he exclaims, "All your preparations will collapse in one stroke with his awakening! We win!" His laughter intensifies, echoing through the chaos like that of a madman.
"So much destruction... so much pain... in such a short time," Nezu said solemnly. "And all of this is because of one man... one man who has overwhelmingly shifted the tide of this raid and turned it into a fight for survival."
The scene shifts to Izuku and the other students, who find themselves dangerously close to the rapidly spreading decay, inching closer to the evacuation team.
"What happened?" Ochako exclaimed in confusion.
"Evacuate the civilians!" Shoto commanded urgently.
"Make them all run!" Bakugo yelled.
"Endeavor! Hey, Endeavor!" Burnin desperately tried to establish contact with Endeavor.
"Everyone, run away!" Izuku urgently exclaimed, taking the lead as he sprinted towards the approaching Decay wave.
"Izuku/Deku/Midoriya, what the hell are you doing?" the voices echoed in the auditorium.
"Um... something, I guess," Izuku said sheepishly, as everyone around him stared with exasperation in their eyes.
"One For All, Full Cowling... 45%!" Activating his quirk, Izuku leaped into the air, his leg arched back as he prepared for an attack. "St. Louis Smash... Air Force!" he declared, swinging his leg to release a powerful burst of compressed air towards the Decay wave. However, despite his effort, the attack proved ineffective as the wave persisted, steadily advancing towards them.
The excitement that Izuku felt upon witnessing himself using 45% OFA immediately dissipated when he realized it failed to have any significant impact against decay.
"It's not stopping... This isn't just a normal shock wave!" Ochako exclaimed, realizing the gravity of the situation.
"Everything's turning to dust!" Tsuyu added, her voice filled with alarm.
Suddenly, a vivid memory surged into Izuku's mind—the haunting encounter with Shigaraki at the mall. "The instant all five of my fingers touch your neck, you'll start crumbling from the skin of your throat," Shigaraki's chilling words echoed in his ears. The memory replayed, showing Shigaraki gripping Izuku's neck tightly with four fingers. "You'll turn to dust in less than a minute," he said giving Izuku a sadistic smile sending shivers down Izuku's spine.
"Shigaraki...!" In the present moment, Izuku's realization struck him like a lightning bolt. The devastating decay wave was unmistakably Shigaraki's doing.
"This was during the mall incident, right?" Momo asked, wrapping her hand around Izuku's, disregarding the dreadful feeling that came with seeing Shigaraki's hand on Izuku's neck.
"Yeah... it was... a strange experience," Izuku replied with a humorless chuckle, gently rubbing his fingers around his neck.
"Deku... I'm sorry for leaving you alone that day," Ochako apologized to Izuku. "Maybe... if I had stayed with you, Shigaraki wouldn't have approached the two of us."
"It's okay, none of us could have predicted that we would encounter a wanted criminal in the mall out of the blue like that," Izuku replied.
Suddenly, Shoto stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Izuku, and unleashed his ultimate move, "Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall!" A colossal ice ridge emerged, aiming to halt the relentless advance of the decay wave. However, to Shoto's dismay, even his powerful ice structure began to fracture and crumble, leaving him in a state of shock as he witnessed its gradual disintegration.
"No matter what you put in its path, that wave of destruction won't cease," Gran Torino said. "Unless someone forces the user to stop, this devastation will continue."
"Everyone, get back!" Burnin's urgent voice resounded as the crumbling chaos intensified. "What's going on in the hospital? Someone, respond!" We see Bakugo swiftly maneuver through the air, using his explosive quirk to grab people with his legs and mouth, propelling himself forward. "Ryukyu! Mirko!" We see Ochako, utilizing her gravity manipulation quirk, swiftly carrying people while making them weightless, "Crust!" We see Shoto slide across the icy, holding a child protectively in his arms.
"I don't care who, someone just answer me!" Burnin's voice filled with frustration as she desperately sought a response over the comms while we see Tsuyu running, carrying a child with her, navigating through the disintegrating environment. "Damn it, why aren't they answering?!" We see Ochako and Nejire utilize their quirks to lift evacuation buses filled with civilians, ensuring their escape from the impending danger. "Please, respond! Endeavor! Ryukyu!" We see Izuku using Black Whip to carry a bus and several civilians along with him. "Someone! Anyone! Tell us what's going on!"
"I wish I had had time to stop and explain the situation to Burnin," Endeavor said with a sigh. "I'm sure that would have avoided a lot of the confusion that they are dealing with right now."
Meanwhile...
"Midoriya, Uraraka, Bakugo, Todoroki, and Asui," Aizawa called out, capturing the attention of the mentioned students. "All of you displayed critical thinking and effectively utilized your quirks to save numerous lives. I'm also pleased to see that none of you attempted to take on more than you could handle. Good work."
"Thank you, sensei," the four students replied in unison, while Bakugo simply huffed in response.
Meanwhile, within the Police Headquarters, several security cameras started to distort, and screens began shutting off one by one.
"What's happening?" one of the higher-ups inquired.
"I don't know. Communications aren't getting through!" an officer reported. "There's no doubt that Jaku Hospital is the source of whatever's happening!"
"This isn't the complete picture, but it looks like there are a large number of casualties," another officer informed.
"Prioritize gathering information!" commanded one of the higher-ranking officials, and an officer acknowledged the order. "What in the world... What in the world is happening?"
"These big shots in the HQ have no idea the kind of shit we're dealing with right now," Mirko said, her glare fixed on the screen. She genuinely despised these so-called higher-ups who comfortably sat in their air-conditioned offices, making decisions for heroes who put their lives on the line in the field, only to audaciously criticize the actions taken by those heroes.
The scene shifted, and now we found ourselves in the heart of the crater. Shigaraki stood atop the only remaining structure in the vicinity, his gaze fixated on the vast expanse of destruction.
"He stopped..." Izuku mumbled, his gaze locked on the screen. "But whether it's a boon or a bane remains to be seen..."
Then, he walked to the machine that X-Less had destroyed and opened it, revealing only destroyed bullets inside. "Aw... Most of these seem to be no good anymore," he said while picking up a destroyed bullet. "Right after this was shot into Compress, he couldn't use his Quirk for a while," he recalled his meeting with Overhaul. "I went through the trouble of getting Doctor to make more of these, too... Overhaul wouldn't be happy to see this."
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise as Shigaraki revealed what was inside the machine that X-Less had destroyed earlier.
"Quirk-destroying bullets..." Mirio said in a low, threatening voice. "X-Less truly did a noble thing by destroying that machine and its contents before Shigaraki could take his life."
Suddenly, Shigaraki felt a tingling sensation in his head, causing him to stumble on his feet. "What...?" he questioned, as an imposing voice called out to him. "My head... it hurts..." he exclaimed, clutching his head in pain.
'That voice...' All Might thought, his eyes widening. 'I thought I had put him down for good at Kamino, but it seems he is still influencing Shigaraki in some unknown way.'
Turning around, Shigaraki noticed a communication device lying on the ground. "It's nice to be able to use Decay however I want," he remarked, picking up the remote from the ground. "Now... It looks like the situation isn't great. It was supposed to start when I woke up, right?" Shigaraki smirked and activated the communication device. "Come, Machia. Let's start with everyone. Right now, from here... I will destroy everything."
At Gunga Villa, Gigantomachia roared in excitement upon hearing Shigaraki's command.
The students who were at Gunga Villa felt a sense of dread settling in their stomachs at the mere thought of facing something like Gigantomachia. Little did they know that what they had witnessed so far was not even his true form.
Back in Jaku, Shigaraki stood silently, gazing at the destruction he had caused.
Izuku took a deep breath, steeling his nerves as he stared at the screen with determined eyes. 'I know I might not be worthy of All Might's power, and I am definitely not ready to face Shigaraki as I am now. But that doesn't matter because I am the ninth holder, and I will do everything in my power to stop the evil, just as my predecessors did,' Izuku declared to himself, feeling an immediate response from One for All as if it acknowledged his unwavering resolve.
To be continued...