The battlefield was chaos.
The U.S.J. was drowning in violence and destruction as villains clashed with the scattered heroes and students. Explosions rocked the disaster zones, and smoke curled into the air. Screams and the sounds of combat echoed throughout the facility.
And then... something changed.
A streak of crimson began to paint the ground.
Cloud moved through the horde of villains like a storm of steel and blood. His massive Buster Sword tore through flesh and bone with terrifying ease. Limbs were severed, bodies were split apart, and the screams of dying men filled the air as he carved a path through the villain ranks.
Every swing of his sword was brutal but efficient. There was no wasted movement, no hesitation—only precision and overwhelming strength. The sheer weight of the Buster Sword, combined with Cloud's raw power, cleaved through bodies like paper.
Villains who had moments ago been cheering and boasting now screamed in terror, scrambling to escape the unstoppable killer in the wolf mask.
Blood sprayed across the ground, walls, and even the faces of nearby combatants. A river of red followed in Cloud's wake.
Shigaraki's Rage
From the central platform, Tomura Shigaraki gawked at the carnage. His hand twitched violently as he scratched his neck, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"What the hell are you doing?!" he shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at Cloud.
The wolf-masked figure gave no response. He didn't even glance in Shigaraki's direction.
Cloud simply continued his massacre, driving his blade through another would-be attacker and kicking the lifeless body aside.
Shigaraki's confusion quickly turned into fury. "You're supposed to be on our side! You're supposed to kill heroes, not us!"
Cloud remained silent.
He shifted his stance, gripping the Buster Sword tightly as more villains dared to rush him. Without a word, he lunged forward, eviscerating another group of attackers in a single, sweeping slash.
The bloodbath continued.
Aizawa's Interruption
Aizawa (Eraser Head) had been fighting off villains near the main plaza when he noticed the change in the battle. The screams of villains caught his attention. But it wasn't the students or heroes causing it—it was one of the villains themselves.
Or was it?
A blur of metal and red streaked across the field, limbs flying and bodies falling. The tall figure in the wolf mask moved with terrifying efficiency, cutting down villains without hesitation.
What the hell...?
Aizawa didn't waste time. His scarf lashed out, grabbing a fleeing villain and throwing him aside as he sprinted toward the carnage.
Cloud was in the middle of slicing down a larger villain when Aizawa appeared several feet away, his capture weapon ready but unused.
"You," Aizawa called out, his voice tense. "Who the hell are you?"
Cloud didn't turn. He slammed the flat of his massive sword into a villain trying to sneak up behind him, sending the man flying into a pile of rubble.
"Does it matter?" Cloud replied coldly, his voice distorted by the mask.
Aizawa's eyes narrowed. "You're a villain, killing other villains. I need to know if you're a threat."
Cloud finally turned, resting the Buster Sword on his shoulder. The weapon dripped with blood, the ground beneath him soaked in red.
"If you want to know who I am," Cloud said in a low tone, "then make me tell you."
Before Aizawa could respond, a group of villains on a nearby ledge fired off several rocket blasts aimed at both of them.
Cloud moved first.
With shocking speed, he leapt forward, bringing his massive sword up in a defensive arc. The rockets exploded against the blade, the blasts pushing him back but leaving him unharmed.
Aizawa's eyes widened slightly at the sheer physical strength.
Cloud didn't wait. He dashed forward, sword in both hands, and swung upward in a brutal arc. The ledge the villains stood on shattered, sending them tumbling down before he cut them to pieces midair.
The dust settled.
Aizawa stared at the masked man, momentarily stunned.
"You saved me," he said cautiously.
Cloud scoffed. "Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't do it for you."
Pure Strength
Cloud wasn't using any magic. No Materia. No summons. No tricks. Just his strength and the Buster Sword.
And it was enough.
Villains screamed as he tore through them. One tried to ensnare him with chains; Cloud snapped them apart with a twist of his arm before severing the man in two. Another fired a barrage of spikes, only for Cloud to block them with his sword and crush the attacker with a single punch.
Each step he took seemed heavier, more deliberate, yet no less lethal. The Buster Sword was an extension of him—moving, cutting, destroying.
A villain with hardened skin tried to stop him.
Cloud caught the man's fist, squeezing until bones shattered beneath his grip, and then drove his sword through the man's chest, pinning him to the ground.
Blood painted the battlefield.
Class 1-A Regroups
Meanwhile, the scattered students of Class 1-A were beginning to regroup in the central plaza. Despite being separated, their teamwork and instincts allowed them to find one another.
Bakugou, Midoriya, Todoroki, and others gathered, breathing heavily but ready to fight.
Bakugou was the first to notice the bloodshed.
"The hell...?" he muttered, staring at the carnage unfolding nearby.
"That's... not one of us," Midoriya said nervously, watching the wolf-masked figure decimate villain after villain.
"Is he... on our side?" Uraraka asked hesitantly.
Bakugou narrowed his eyes. He recognized the way that figure moved, even under the mask.
"Tch... no way."
Shigaraki's Breaking Point
Tomura Shigaraki couldn't take it anymore.
His body trembled with fury as he pointed at Cloud, his voice breaking into a frustrated scream.
"NOMU! KILL HIM! KILL THAT TRAITOR!"
The Nomu, standing obediently beside him, turned its head toward Cloud. Its lifeless, black eyes focused on the swordsman, muscles tensing in anticipation.
Cloud paused, lifting his head slightly to look at the massive creature now stalking toward him.
A slow grin crept beneath the mask.
"Finally," Cloud muttered.
The blood on his blade glistened as he raised the Buster Sword, pointing it toward the approaching Nomu.
"Let's see what you've got."