Hey folks! We're in the second half of the World Heroes' Mission Arc! Things are bound to get really exciting, especially as I'm hoping to get this arc concluded with some spicy surprises.

Although, I do have to admit something. With both My Hero Academia and Edens Zero winding down as of the time I'm writing this, I am starting to find myself a bit demotivated when it comes to this story. And though I hope I get more inspired in the coming days as we head into Season 6, I feel uncertain for the future of this story.

But I won't give up. I'm going to see this journey through to the very end. So without any delay, let's get right back into "Through the Rough"!

THROUGH THE ROUGH

"Emergency alert, sir!" one of the operators in the World Heroes' Association headquarters called out to the director, "Humarise has started a broadcast and is streaming across the planet!" he informed to him.

"Put it on the screen!" he instructed quickly. The big screen at the front of the command center turned red, with the six-leafed clover insignia of the cultish terrorists upon it. All Might grimaced.

"Humarise will now fulfill its purpose!" Flect's voice echoed from the screen, "To protect the pure humans who are called powerless…" he continued as around the world, screens in cities were also broadcasting the message to several citizens, "against those who have been infected by the wicked disease known as Quirks!" he declared, while back at U.A. High, the likes of Tenya Iida, Yuga Aoyama, Mina Ashido, Toru Hagakure, Koji Koda, Shota Aizawa, and Mirio Togata watched on with worry and frustration, "We have developed Humanity Salvation Devices that will cleanse this world," he told all viewers, including the heroes that were standing by, "Soon, they will be activated… in twenty-five countries!" he announced.

"Seriously?!" Mineta exclaimed out of disbelief, grabbing both sides of his head.

"But why are they announcing this now?" Ibara wondered aloud.

"Don't have a clue…" Hanta admitted with a grimace.

"This deliverance from evil shall be witnessed by all in two hours!" Flect declared on.

"That's hardly any time at all!" Taishiro exclaimed as everyone around for the Japan team was just as shocked by the sudden challenge.

"Crap…" Sister muttered with a grimace.

"It seems we'll have to act fast…" Witch noted beside her.

"However, we are not without mercy…" Flect proclaimed, "If you wish to prevent this plan from going into effect," he kept going, "we will generously reveal the countries where our devices have been installed," he promised to those watching.

"What is he playing at?" Momo wondered aloud with her right hand upon her chin.

"It sounds like a trap…" Setsuna muttered beside her.

"Damn bastards…!" Rumi snarled, while Justice narrowed his eyes.

"If you do not understand our righteous cause, you will have a chance to live on…" Flect promised before the broadcast ended. Back at the WHA headquarters, the global map reappeared on the big screen. Markers around the globe went off, indicating each of the countries targeted in red.

"Director, these are the twenty-five zones the bombs are placed in!" one operator called out, "They match up with the locations of known Humarise branches!" he mentioned.

"It's possible this is a giant trap!" an aide to the director suggested.

"But we can't afford to be that cautious…" All Might chimed in seriously, knowing that if wasn't bluster that Flect was spouting, millions upon millions of people would be in trouble. The director nodded in agreement.

"Give launching orders to the hero teams on standby!" he instructed to the operators.

"Yes, sir!" they replied. Warning signs were flashing all over their screens.

"There's widespread panic in each of the twenty-five affected zones!" one pointed out as he turned in his chair slightly, "Surrounding areas are in chaos as well!" he added. In Japan, thousands of people were frightfully running about, trying to get away from wherever the bombs were located. Anyone in a vehicle was in even more trouble, unable to escape the city streets. One car crashed into the back of a semi-truck, followed by another crashing into it.

"Streets are gridlocked! Transportation is a mess!" a female operator mentioned. It was sheer chaos around the world. Arriving on the scene in Japan were Taishiro, Hermit, Eijiro, Tetsutetsu, Sister, and Witch.

"Oh no…!" the Hardening Quirk user exclaimed, seeing how bad things were, especially on the streets.

"We can't start searching for these damn bombs until we get these people outta here…" the Heal Atomizer Quirk user noted out of frustration.

"Suneater, you search for anybody who's injured!" Taishiro instructed to the Manifest Quirk user, getting his attention, "Red Riot, Real Steel, you secure a solid evacuation route!" he advised of the others, "Shining Stars, I'll have you with me to find anyone trapped in all this mess!" he decided as the trio of androids perked up.

"Roger that!" the boys responded, while the Shining Star Heroes simply nodded. Tamaki went ahead and immediately formed his fingers into octopus tentacles, which extended out as he swung his arms back.

"Chimera Kraken!" he exclaimed, unleashing the tentacles to wrap around and lift up several people in the area who had gotten hurt.

"Let's do this!" Tetsutetsu yelled, hardening his body into a silvery steel as he charged forward.

"Come on Red Gauntlet!" Eijiro bellowed as he had his body harden so that he was sturdy and rock hard. Together, the two first-years bashed a semi-truck aside, clearing a path for the frightened citizens.

"This is your way out!" the Hardening Quirk user yelled to the crowd.

"Don't stand there gawkin'! Go!" the Steel Quirk user insisted firmly. Elsewhere on the streets, Taishiro was using his strength to rip off a car door, revealing a pair of young boys crying inside. He quickly pulled them out, holding them in his arms before handing them off to their mother. Sister drew her whip in a flash of light, using it to slice another door off to reveal a girl there. She withdrew her weapon, reaching her left out to the scared child with a smile.

"You don't need to be afraid," she assured, "Come on," she beckoned. The girl took her hand, allowing her to pull her out of the vehicle.

"Cementoss!" Hizashi called out to the Cement Quirk user as they were at a street corner next to the gridlocked bridge.

"Make it a loud one, Mic!" Ken insisted, placing his hands against the pavement as a greenish glow came off of them. He formed a pillar underneath the Voice Quirk user, raising him up into the air. Taking a deep breath, he was ready to alert the scared crowd.

"LISTEN UP, EVERYBODY!" he loudly echoed up into the sky, being aboard a makeshift slide that his fellow hero had formed, "WE'VE GOT A ROCKIN' PATH FOR YA OVER HERE, SO GET TO SLIDIN'!" he instructed.

"Remain calm! Don't panic!" the Cement Quirk user advised to the fleeing citizens. He then turned towards one of the many tall buildings in the vicinity, narrowing his eyes.

'We're counting on you, search team…' he noted inwardly. Up atop the roof of a skyscraper, Kuga and his sidekicks were using sonar in an attempt to detect the device.

"Find me that Trigger Bomb immediately!" he commanded of his subordinates, including Kyoka and Mezo, "Hear me?!" he yelled out.

"Understood, sir!" they all responded. Flying about, Witch looked about in search of the Trigger Bomb.

'I can't imagine Humarise would inform us of the bombs' locations without thinking we would be able to stop them…' she noted to herself, 'Is this part of their plan?' she wondered on. The chaos had enveloped Europe as well, with several cars being piled on the streets as smoke rose into the sky. Ochaco floated several damaged vehicles up into the air.

"Ribbit!" Tsuyu croaked, wrapping her long tongue around one and pulling it in.

"We've got the evacuations under control!" the Zero Gravity Quirk assured, floating up another damaged car after pressing her fingertips against it.

"Then it's up to us to find the enemy's device!" Ryuko declared to her colleagues standing by her.

"Right!" they agreed, ready to head off. In the United States, Hawks flew about speedily alongside Fumikage and Shiki.

"Holy crap, this is bad…" the Satan Gravity Quirk user muttered out, seeing the panic occurring on the streets below.

"It's sheer chaos…" the Dark Shadow Quirk user added.

"Tsukuyomi! Magimech King! Leave the evacuations to the American team!" Hawks advised to the pair following him, "It'll be easier for us to find that damn bomb with a bird's eye view!" he pointed out.

"Roger that!" both Shiki and Fumikage responded, flying off in different directions to begin their search.

"Go… Fierce Wings!" Hawks yelled, unleashing the red feathers of his wings down onto the city below, having them speedily fly about, "Leave no corner unsearched!" he commanded of them. Back in Singapore, Kris was flying about alongside Majestic in search of the bombs.

"Tokage, take these sensors and spread them around the city!" Momo requested, having created a pile of devices that had protruded from her body.

"No sweat!" the Lizard Tail Splitter Quirk user replied as she jogged over to her colleague. She then split herself up into several parts, each floating off with the sensors. "I won't let anyone die today!" she vowed as she flew off. At that moment, Enma floated up aboard rings of multicolored energy.

"Momo!" he called out to the Creation Quirk user, getting her attention, "Shall we head to the next spot?" he guessed.

"Yes, sir!" she responded, allowing him to form a few rings of light underneath her, letting her fly after him. In Egypt, Yu had enlarged herself, picking cars up off of the gridlocked streets and setting them down carefully so that those inside could get out. As she did, her work study students were running about the streets in search of the dastardly device.

"How are we supposed to find a tiny bomb hiding somewhere in this huge city?!" Minoru yelled frantically as he, Denki, and Hanta kept running.

"Hello! Hello! Hello!" Salaam greeted to the trio, running off alongside them.

"Whoa, Salaam!" they yelped in surprise.

"You must find what you seek, not seek what you find!" he advised of the trio, "Follow me, young ones!" he instructed, dashing through the streets with a gold aura wafting off of his paper thin body.

"He's so fast!" Denki and Minoru exclaimed.

"Guess being paper thin has its perks!" Hanta remarked. Back in Otheon, Enji and Moe were flying across the skyline over the city.

"Clair, where's the device, dammit?!" the Hellflame Quirk user yelled in question over the communication line established.

"There's no sign of it in this area!" the Otheon hero responded as her eyes glowed a bright red while she was gliding upon her sidekick, "Moving to the next location!" she confirmed, starting to fly away.

"We're not finding any clues in the west district either," another hero confirmed while watching many citizens frightfully run about the streets in panic. He grimaced out of frustration, knowing that the situation was well out of his or anyone's control.

'Shoto… what are you doing?' Enji wondered inwardly, 'Hurry up and get back here!' he yelled through his thoughts.

X

After managing to sneak away from the canyon into the city, Izuku and the others had arrived at a seaside hotel in Klayd. They immediately plugged the SD card into one of the complimentary computers. And as its file was opened, so too were a lot of folders on the screen.

"Oh, crud…" Rebecca muttered out.

"So many folders…" Izuku noted aloud, "Where do we even start?" he questioned.

"Move it!" Katsuki yelled, shoving his rival aside, "Where's the most recent timestamp?" he inquired, quickly filtering the page to show what had recently been accessed, "It's this video file," he confirmed to the group, who all gathered around as closely as they could. It took a moment to get started.

"Hello," a male voice greeted, "My name is Alan Kay," he introduced, being the eyepatch-wearing man from recent accident in Otheon, "Along with several other scientists, I was kidnapped by Humarise," he told those watching.

"Kidnapped?" Izuku repeated in surprise, while Rody perked up slightly, which Rebecca took notice of. Connor went tense.

"In order to enact their plans, Humarise took our families hostage and forced us to manufacture Quirk Factor Triggering Bombs against our wills," Alan explained, "The first terrorist attack using one of these devices was merely a ploy," he pointed out, "To gather the world's top heroes in places where Humarise branches are located," he added, causing everyone aside from Rody to perk up in shock.

"Hold on…" Rebecca uttered, "Does that mean…?" she started to guess.

"The group is planning to use these horrible bombs to eradicate those pros," the scientist told his intended audience, "In an instant, the hero population will be decimated," he stated.

"Ah!" Izuku gasped.

"So the bombs themselves are lures for the heroes…" Homura realized, balling her hands into fists.

"And Humarise knows they'll take the bait…" Rebecca concluded additionally as she grimaced.

"After losing its top heroes, society will collapse," Alan said, "Using the vacuum of chaos afterward, Humarise will wipe out anyone with powers and build a world where only the Quirkless are allowed," he explained, "That is the true goal of Hansha Furimuku, also known as Flect Turn," he continued, "the leader of Humarise," he stated, "A madman…" he mentioned on.

"This is insane…" Rody noted as his left arm trembled slightly.

"Yeah…" Shoto agreed.

"I hope my voice will reach the heroes in time," the scientist said, "Eddy Soul, another scientist here, lost his life helping me," he told the viewers, causing Rody to suddenly widen his eyes, while Connor lightly gasped, "He made the key I've included that will disarm the bombs at their base," Alan noted, referring to the chip-like object that was also in the puzzle contraption, "Please, save the world…" he pleaded before the video ended. Izuku picked up the disarming key, staring at it in shock. It was the very thing that could defeat Humarise.

All the while, Pino, who was atop Rody's head, shed a few tears. And Rebecca noticed, seeing how troubled the brunette-haired young man appeared. She clenched her teeth in frustration, turning away. She couldn't really say anything now.

"AAAAAAAHHH!" a woman in the hotel suddenly screamed out, getting everyone's attention. They saw a small crowd of people hurry off in a panic.

"What the hell?" Katsuki uttered out. He and the others then noticed a news broadcast playing nearby on a TV.

"Humarise, the organization advocating for the salvation of humanity, has placed bombs around the world," the newscaster told his viewers, "The weapons are set to explode in one hour and fifty-two minutes unless the heroes are able to find and disarm them worldwide," he explained on, "As you might expect, panic has gripped the areas where the devices are said to be located," he mentioned, "Heroes have been working to evacuate people to safety and subvert this attack," he assured, "Areas in danger of being affected by the bombs are as follows," he continued as a worldwide map appeared on the screen with several marked locations.

"No, it can't be!" Rody exclaimed as he looked at one of the locations in particular, "That circle's in Otheon!" he pointed out desperately, "My house is inside of it!" he mentioned, though that wasn't his main concern, "Oh no…!" he uttered, knowing that his brother and sister were likely fearing for their lives. And they were, watching many people fleeing the area from their home as they held onto each other.

"Rody… where are you…?" Roro asked, holding his crying sister close. Their big brother grimaced in frustration. If nothing was done, his family would be caught up in the eventual catastrophe as well.

"We should send this to HQ and have them order the hero teams to retreat before it's too—"

"We can't do that…" Izuku said, interjecting Shoto as he was about to email the World Heroes' Association. He looked back at his allies, seeing their varying frustrated expressions. Homura stepped forward.

"The heroes are already out there looking for the Trigger Bombs," she pointed out, "Even if they're the actual targets of the terrorist attack, even if they know this is a trap…" she listed off.

"As long as there are people who need help, the pros will never leave them and run away," Rebecca finished for her solemnly.

"That's what makes them heroes!" Izuku exclaimed, clenching his trembling fists tightly, "And Humarise counted on this when they came up with their plan…" he mentioned in frustration. There was a long silence amongst everyone in the group. And then Shoto stepped forward.

"Then we use that damn disarming key!" he decided firmly, "It's up to all of us to stop those bombs!" he stated on.

"But how do we do that…?" Rebecca asked, "We don't even know where their main base is…" she pointed out. Hearing that, Katsuki perked up upon realizing something.

"On it!" he exclaimed, jogging over and shoving Shoto aside to access the computer, "The answer has to be in here somewhere," he proclaimed, browsing quickly through the files of the SD card, "You're an idiot if you make a key without telling people where the lock is," he remarked, "We look for the place that wasn't part of their announcement," he said, taking a map of the known Humarise branch locations from a map he found and cross-referencing it to where the bombs were located. One location in Europe wasn't marked with a device, being a small island off the coast. "This is where their base is," the Explosion Quirk user confirmed.

"Nice going, Kacchan!" Rebecca complimented, causing him to let out a scoff.

"Kacchan, can you find where the bomb controls are?" Izuku asked as his rival continued look through the data logs in the file.

"Let me work, ya damn nerd…" he grumbled back, going through the entirety of the base's infrastructure.

"It's the furthest area underground…" Homura noted as she narrowed her eyes.

"So we know where it is, but it's more than four hundred kilometers away from where we are…" Shoto pointed out.

"We can make it," Rody affirmed, getting the group's attention as he was on the other computer, looking at a map of Klayd, "I think I know how to get us there," he told the others, pointing towards the location of a nearby airport.

"Then let's move!" Rebecca insisted of the group, "Don't forget anything!" she advised on as they hurried off out of the hotel. However, Connor stayed behind for a moment. Alan's words replayed in his head… along with another distant memory.

FLASHBACK

"Eddy, what's going on?" the portly man asked in concern, seeing his friend hurriedly pack his things into a suitcase.

"I can't explain, but I have to go," he responded, much to his shock, "Watch out for Rody and the others," he requested, "But please, don't get too close to them…" he advised on, "They might come after you, too…" he mentioned.

"Who are you talking about?" Connor asked, only to get not much of a response, "Hey!" he shouted, grabbing Eddy by his right shoulder, "I know we're friends, but you can't just leave without so much as an explanation!" he yelled on. The scientist tensed up, trembling to his friend's surprise.

"I'm joining Humarise," he confirmed, much to the portly man's shock as his eyes widened, "That's all you need to know," he said. Zipping up his suitcase, he started walking off. "Please… take care of them…" he requested of his friend again, leaving without another word.

END FLASHBACK

"Mister Connor?" Rebecca's voice chimed in, snapping him away from his thoughts as he looked over to see her at the doorway, "I think it's probably better for you to stay here, since it's gonna be so dangerous…" she advised of him, "You can help with getting people to safety and—"

"No," the portly man interjected to her surprise, seeing him walk up to her, "Your group's going to need a pilot to get to that base you found, don't you?" he presumed, "I'd be happy to come out of retirement for that," he affirmed with a nervous grin. The Cat Leaper Quirk user blinked in surprise, but then smiled with gratitude. Moments later, they had arrived at the local airport, having borrowed a plane for themselves. Connor sat in the co-pilot's seat next to Rody, who was sweating a little. Pino was chirping atop his head, somewhat panicked.

"Don't worry…" he assured to her, "I know the basic controls," he said, holding onto the yoke with a firm grip as he drove the plane down the runway, letting it soar up into the sky, "This is no time to be chirping…" he pointed out to his bird, enticing her to calm down.

"Nicely done, Rody," Connor complimented of the brunette-haired young man, making him crack a grin. Back in the cabin, the others were getting themselves dressed for the battle ahead. Izuku and Rebecca noticed that their classmates were putting on their stealth costumes, surprising them a little. However, Shoto passed them their own cases.

"We figured you'd need these in case something happened," he pointed out to them.

"Thanks, Todoroki," Izuku said gratefully, opening his case like his girlfriend.

"Place is probably gonna be crawling with a lot of Humarise bastards…" Katsuki presumed while tying his mask over his eyes.

"And undoubtedly, they'll be doing whatever it takes to stop anyone who's attempting to thwart their plans…" Homura added, putting on her thigh-high socks.

"It doesn't matter," Rebecca affirmed, holstering her Happy Blasters while zipping up her bodysuit, "We'll stop them together," she declared, earning nods in response from her classmates. Shoto adjusted his combat vest and zipped up his boots, standing up from the bench.

'We'll definitely stop the Trigger Bombs…' he vowed inwardly. Meanwhile, Katsuki was clanking down the handles of his flash grenade-like bracers. Adjusting his neck with a crick, he also stood up from his seat.

'We'll crush those crazy cult bastards!' he declared through his thoughts, clenching his gloved fists tightly. In the meantime, Homura was zipping up her suit from the back to her neck. She tapped her feet against the floor, making sure her sandals were securely in place before standing up.

'We won't let Humarise get away with anything they might do next!' she decided through her thoughts. Lastly, Izuku made sure the gloves of his suit were tightly secured, closing his right hand into a fist and giving off a determined expression.

'We'll protect the heroes…' he promised inwardly, 'our friends…' he continued, 'and the world!' he declared as the plane flew on over a mountainside. As it did, Rebecca curiously looked into the cockpit. Rody and Connor didn't need to involve themselves at all in this ordeal, but they were doing it anyway. And the Cat Leaper Quirk user knew that they were going through a lot at the moment…

X

As problems were continuing to pile up at the World Heroes' Association, an alarm went off at one operator's station.

"We just received a transmission from Shoto!" he called out, having his right hand upon the communicator in his ear as everyone around perked up in surprise, "He's a hero who was sent to Otheon!" he mentioned, "He says he and his colleagues obtained a master disarming key for the Trigger Bombs!" he quickly informed.

"Where is he now?!" the director questioned.

"Heading to where the villains' main system is located along with said colleagues!" the operator replied, "It's inside a hidden Humarise facility!" he mentioned. All Might grimaced, realizing who else was joining the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user in the endeavor. He looked toward the location upon the map.

'Young Todoroki… Young Bakugo… Young Kogetsu… Young Bluegarden… Young Midoriya…!' he listed off inwardly out of panic and concern.

"Shoto's figured out a way to disarm these damn devices?!" Enji inquired from back in Otheon, having been informed over the communication line.

"Then let's go support him!" Moe insisted.

"We can't," the Flame Hero said, turning to look back at his sidekick, "Our priority is evacuation in case he and the others should fail," he pointed out to her.

"Endeavor!" Clair's voice suddenly called out from the line, getting his attention.

"What is it?!" he immediately questioned. The Voyance Quirk user was gliding aboard her sidekick in front of the oddly-shaped skyscraper near the city's center. Her eyes were glowing red.

"I finally found the target!" she confirmed.

"Where?!" Enji asked.

"It's in front of the North Gate of Otheon Tower, inside a semi-truck!" Clair quickly informed.

"Heroes to the tower!" the Hellflame Quirk user commanded to his colleagues over the communication line, flying ahead alongside Moe as quickly as he could, "Get that bomb out of here!" he insisted firmly.

"Roger!" they all responded.

"AH!" Clair's voice suddenly yelped, causing Enji to perk up in surprise.

"Clair, come in!" he called out in concern, putting his left hand onto his ear. Before he could even think to say anything, he and his sidekick were suddenly entrapped by bright green tendrils, being hoisted into the air in yelps along with several vehicles. "What the hell is this?!" he yelled out. He glanced down to see a masked Humarise member below with the tendrils protruding from his arms. Back in Japan, Kyoka gasped upon hearing the latest update.

"Shoji, they're saying Midoriya and the others are headed to disarm the bombs!" she yelled to the Dupli-Arms Quirk user.

"Don't lose focus!" he insisted in response, causing her to blink in surprise, "For now, we need to keep concentrating on the mission we were charged with," he advised seriously while having multiple eyes and ears duplicated upon the tips of his tentacles.

"Right!" she responded, putting her hands back onto her headphones, "Yeah…" she said. As they continued their search, Kuga perked up as his sonar had located something.

"There! I've found it!" he called out, "It's in the third container of that freight train!" he exclaimed as the transport was racing down the tracks in the distance, "Quickly shrimps, go!" he shouted to his colleagues.

"We're on it!" Taishiro responded as he and Tamaki jumped aboard the train, hurrying down the cars. However, they were brought to a stop as they saw Humarise members leap out in front of them. The one in front had drill-like arms, ripping off the sleeves of his robe.

"Oh no… villains!" the Manifest Quirk user gasped, seeing three more villains jump down and land behind them, each readying their unique abilities.

"Crap, of course there'd be guards!" Taishiro complained.

"Our teams have found the devices, but they're meeting resistance from Humarise!" one operator from back at the WHA headquarters noted to his colleagues.

"We've got less than thirty minutes left now!" another pointed out additionally.

'Everyone is fighting so desperately…' All Might inwardly noted, clutching his injury as he grimaced with worry, 'Best of luck… future heroes!' he exclaimed through his thoughts. Rain was starting to pour as the Cessna flew over the mountain, as its radar indicated that it was closing in on the destination.

"Almost there!" Rody called out from the cockpit as the plane flew around a mountain, closing in on the location as it was located in the mountainside itself. Inside, live footage of the incoming plane was shown to Flect. He turned to three of his followers that were behind him.

"The afflicted must be purged!" he demanded of them. The three hooded figures bowed in response, heading off in opposite directions.

"That's it! The base!" Rody exclaimed as the plane was closing in on the location, "Going in for a landing!" he called out to his passengers, "Brace yourselves!" he warned.

"No. Rody, you and Connor turn back," Izuku insisted in response, much to his surprise.

"What…?" he uttered out, while the portly man gasped, watching as Izuku pressed the button to open the side door up.

"Extras like you should stay out of the way," Katsuki bluntly insisted as he and the others approached the door, feeling the wind rush through their hair.

"He has a point, even if he could've phrased it better…" Rebecca noted in a grumble, approaching the door. One by one, they quickly jumped out, diving through the rain toward the base below.

"This is a job for heroes!" they all exclaimed. Bullets were shot up at them from below, as Shoto ignited flames around his left arm to balance himself. Several Humarise were already out at the entrance, firing onto the five individuals looking to interfere with their plans.

"I don't have time for you idiots!" Katsuki roared, unleashing multiple, rapid fire blasts from his gloved hands down onto the cultists, knocking them down. One of them hurried out and readied his cannon-like arms, firing green bursts of energy toward the incoming invaders.

'Some of their members have Quirks, too!' Izuku noted inwardly, weaving aside in midair to evade the blasts coming his way. One would've hit him had it not been for Homura descending in front of him, conjuring an energy blade in her hands to block the attack. In the meantime, Shoto expelled fire from his left foot to soften his landing.

"I didn't expect there to be so many of them…!" he admitted aloud, swinging his left arm out to unleash flames onto the Humarise members, forcing them to back off. One removed his mask, taking a deep breath before unleashing a sonic scream up into the air, having it crash onto Katsuki.

'A sound wave?!' he inwardly exclaimed, grimacing as he covered his ears. Fortunately for him, Izuku fell into the trees, grasping a branch to flip forward. He swung his left leg out, unleashing a pressurized blast of air onto the Humarise member attacking his rival, blowing him away in an instant.

"Kacchan!" the One For All inheritor called out to the Explosion Quirk user as he landed down on the ground, sliding across it.

"Yeah, yeah, I know!" he responded out of irritation, regaining his composure as he fired off more blasts down onto the Humarise members below. Rebecca drew her Happy Blasters, firing them rapidly. The bursts of blue energy struck down many of the cultists. Some fired their rifles at her, but she quickly landed, activating her Quirk and speeding away, knocking her foes down in the process. Blasts continued to erupt as smoke billowed into the rainy sky.

Shoto rode a wave of ice through it, leaping off and launching ice shards from his right arm to strike down more members as they were slammed against or pinned to a rock wall. The battle seemed to be in the young heroes' favor, especially as Homura and Rebecca sped ahead. The cultists attempted to stop them, but were suddenly ambushed from above by Izuku, who swung his right leg down to unleash a pressurized burst of air. It slammed down onto the Humarise members, making them cry out in agony.

"I've got you!" Shoto called out, catching his classmate while still riding his ice wave. Homura and Rebecca hopped aboard as he held the freckled teen in front of him, allowing him to make the outer layers of his gloves jolt forward before he flicked his fingers, unleashing more pressurized blasts of air onto their enemies. The Cat Leaper Quirk user looked back to see that Katsuki and Yang were still battling the cultists at the entrance.

"Kacchan!" she called out to him, "We'll leave those guys to you!" she confirmed as they headed off into the entrance.

"Stop them!" one female Humarise member yelled as she and her colleagues fired onto their fleeing foes. However, they were all caught off guard by the Explosion Quirk user's sudden blasts that struck them.

"Don't tell me what to do!" he yelled as he unleashed rapid-fire blasts onto other cultists around the entrance.

"Take him down!" one member inside the base yelled as gunfire rained out onto the remaining four invaders still charging ahead. They were promptly taken down by the combined attacks of Homura's blades and Rebecca's blasters, all while they continued to ride Shoto's ice wave.

"It's a right at the end of this hallway," the One For All inheritor noted as the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user, brushed his hair back to put his flames out.

"Hold on!" he advised of his colleagues, hurrying down the route with them. Back outside, the cultists at the entrance were continuing to get bombarded by blasts shot rapidly from Katsuki's palms. Ultimately, all the Humarise members present at the entrance had fallen.

"Hmph," the Explosion Quirk user scoffed as he landed down again, brushing his right thumb across his nose, "Couldn't be easier…" he remarked aloud. All of a sudden, he heard something whisking toward him. He quickly blasted himself upward to avoid the bellow sword-like blades whipping at them. He watched as they retracted to a man of average build and fair skin with bowl-cut indigo hair, yellow reptilian eyes with dark purple markings surrounding them, and a set of large fangs. He wore a simple red and white tunic with gray, presumably snake skin, boots. Katsuki could hear him giggling under his breath as his arms reformed from the blades, causing her to step back cautiously.

"Why are you morons helping Humarise?" Katsuki asked, "You've got Quirks!" he pointed out. The snake-like man sneered.

"Because we were personally chosen by Flect as the worthy!" he proclaimed. All of a sudden, a man who looked exactly like him slid out from behind him.

"We will work alongside Humarise and live in their rebuilt world!" he declared on.

"Tch," Katsuki scoffed, "Oh, I get it! You're just trying to save your own butts!" he concluded disdainfully, all while the twin villains giggled, forming their arms into bellow sword-like blades once more, "Talk about selfish!" their explosive opponent roared as he reared his hands back, "As expected of villains!" he yelled on, blasting himself up into the air, while the blonde-haired huntress shot forward, "DIIIEEEEEE!" he bellowed, swinging his arms down to unleash a powerful explosion down onto them. However, they respectively extended their blades off to opposite sides, pulling themselves out of the way before they could be struck. Katsuki grimaced as he landed upon the ground.

'They're fast!' he noted to himself. Ena and Dio then began their own assault, extending their whip-like blades out through the dust toward their lone foe. He was barely managing to parry the blades of Dio as they nicked his knee bracers. He was already in enough trouble until Ena came in from behind, readying his own blades. Together, the twins swung their whip-like blades at the Explosion Quirk user. Before he could even think to do anything, the blades crossed his line of sight… and struck.

"GUAH!" he yelled in pain. Blood poured down onto the rocky ground, along with half of his mask and hood.

"Hahahahahaha! AHAHAHAHAHA!" Dio cackled excitedly. Elswhere in the forest just ahead of the base, Rody had crashed the plane into a clearing, having disembarked from it with Connor and Pino.

"Rody, we should get out of here like they said…" the portly man advised of the brunette-haired teen.

"I won't just stay behind… I have to help!" he declared as he hurried ahead. However, the sound of a tree branch snapping caught his attention as he widened his eyes. He turned and grimaced to find that there was a platoon of Humarise members that were in front of him, all but one with their weapons aimed.

"You're Rody Soul, aren't you?" the one without a rifle asked.

END

We're getting closer to the good stuff! I'm doing my best to bring forth new content into these chapters, and I can guarantee that'll be the case for the next few. But for now, I hope you enjoyed the chapter all the same!

Thanks again!