The force of wind that followed was almost suffocating. A golden blur burst through the entrance of USJ, colliding with the monstrous Nomu mid-charge. The shockwave from the impact sent dust and debris flying in all directions. When the dust settled, All Might stood tall, his face shadowed by fury. The Nomu, now embedded into the far wall, twitched but remained standing.
"All of you, STAY BACK!" All Might's voice boomed. He barely had enough time to see what happened behind him.
The force was enough to send Aizawa crashing across the battlefield, his body rolling like a ragdoll until it stopped several meters away. He didn't move. His goggles, now shattered, lay beside him, and blood pooled from the gash on his forehead.
Silence fell over the students as they looked at their homeroom teacher—one of the few remaining figures of authority—motionless on the cold concrete floor.
Izuku, concealed beneath his hood and mask, grinned behind the voice modulator. The students still hadn't realized he wasn't among them. Perfect.
"Oh, how grand!" Izuku's distorted voice rang out. He stepped forward, dragging something behind him. The students felt their stomachs churn as he lifted it into the dim light—Thirteen's limp body, blood still dripping from her open throat.
"So, this is what it means to be a hero?" Izuku mocked, his voice taking on an exaggeratedly dramatic tone. "Such noble protectors of society! Tell me, does this not inspire you?" He shook Thirteen's corpse for emphasis before tossing it to the side like discarded trash. The wet slap of flesh against concrete made some of them flinch. Uraraka nearly vomited.
"You bastard!" Iida stepped forward, fists clenched, legs trembling with a mixture of fury and fear. "You talk about heroes, but you're nothing but a—"
"Ah, ah," Izuku wagged his finger. "Not another word from you… unless you think you can back up that talk right now?"
The students were frozen, too stunned to act. Even Todoroki, who had remained calm up until now, felt his breath hitch in his throat.
"Oh, come on now," Izuku's voice, distorted by the modulator, rang through the silence. "Are you all really going to just stand there? I mean, really? What kind of heroes are you supposed to be?"
His voice dripped with mockery, his tone both taunting and delighted. The way his shoulders shook with amusement made it all the more terrifying. He lifted the bloodied knife and ran a gloved finger along its edge before flicking the excess blood onto the ground.
"Or perhaps… you'd like to avenge your fallen teacher? Isn't that what heroes do?" His masked gaze flicked toward Uraraka, whose eyes were still fixed on the body, horror written across her pale features. "Oh? No takers? Tsk tsk. This is almost too easy."
The darkness of the USJ remained ever-present, the broken lighting system flickering weakly as All Might's golden glow entered the battlefield.
"Enough," All Might's voice was laced with restrained rage. "You've gone too far," his hands clenched into fists, shaking slightly as he took a step forward. "You'll answer for what you've done."
"Oh?" Izuku hummed, his voice slightly distorted by the mask covering his face. He tilted his head. "And what exactly have I done, All Might?" He motioned downward with an exaggerated gesture toward the lifeless body of Thirteen. Blood still pooled beneath her. A symbol of heroism, reduced to nothing.
All Might's eyes flickered to the fallen pro hero for only a split second before snapping back to the masked figure before him. He inhaled sharply. "You took an innocent life."
"Did I?" Izuku chuckled. "Or did I simply show the truth of this world? The weak die, and the strong watch."
A shudder ran through the students. Even those too terrified to speak before now stared, their minds struggling to comprehend the words coming from the masked villain's lips.
Ochaco, still trembling, whispered, "That voice…"
Izuku noticed. He needed to wrap things up before any of them could put the pieces together. His laughter filled the dome. "Oh, but I haven't even started!" He tilted his head towards the Nomu, now recovering from All Might's earlier blow. "It seems our dear friend is up. Why don't you show them what real power looks like?"
The Nomu lunged, and the fight erupted.
All Might met the creature's charge head-on. The battlefield quaked as the two titans clashed. Nomu's fists moved at impossible speeds, but All Might countered, his punches sending shockwaves through the air.
From his perch, Izuku observed, his fingers twitching. He was studying them—All Might's movements, his tendencies, his limits. He needed to see how far the Number One Hero could go.
The battle escalated. Blow after blow, the two figures moved across the battlefield like living hurricanes. The Nomu regenerated from every wound, but All Might's relentless assault didn't waver. Then, with a final burst of power, All Might launched the Nomu into the air and delivered a devastating strike.
"Detroit... Smash!"
The Nomu was sent careening out of USJ, its monstrous form vanishing into the sky.
All Might exhaled, his shoulders rising and falling. He turned back towards Izuku.
"Now, villain," he spoke between breaths, "your turn."
Izuku tilted his head. Then he began to laugh. It was unsettling, a mixture of amusement and genuine pleasure. "Oh, my turn? But I've already done my part. I simply wanted to witness a god bleed."
All Might narrowed his eyes. "You think this is a game?"
"A game? No, no, All Might, this is a revelation," Izuku whispered. "USJ—Unforeseen Simulation Joint. How fitting! A place designed to simulate disasters, yet today, we bring them to life." He gestured to the students, to the unconscious Aizawa, to the lifeless body of Thirteen. "And you call yourselves heroes."
"Enough," All Might growled. "You're coming with me."
"Oh?" Izuku chuckled, stepping forward. "Are you finally going to show me how a real hero fights?"
All Might didn't hesitate. He lunged, his fist aiming straight for Izuku's torso. The moment of impact twisted Izuku's body from the sheer force, the crack of breaking ribs echoed through the battlefield. He slammed into the ground, coughing up blood.
But then, just as quickly, All Might's own abdomen spasmed with searing pain. His breath hitched. His vision blurred.
This wasn't just a reflection of damage—it was identical pain, transferred instantly.
Izuku stumbled back, clutching his stomach as blood dripped from his mouth. His breathing was ragged, his limbs shaky.
"Ah… ha… wow, that one was really something," he wheezed. "I knew you packed a punch, but damn!"
But even as he swayed, even as the world spun around him, Izuku was grinning.
All Might, however, was stunned.
This quirk… it was unlike anything he had ever seen. All Might's eyes narrowed. He had faced countless villains in his time, some with abilities that defied logic. But this was different, it reminded All Might of him. He had to be smart about this.
Izuku's movements were deliberate, unpredictable. He feinted to the left before twisting to the right, closing the distance between them in an instant. He aimed a sharp kick toward All Might's side, forcing the hero to block. But even as All Might caught his leg, he felt the same force of the attack reverberate through his own muscles.
"I can't keep fighting him like this", he realized. "If I keep attacking, I'll be taking the same damage."
Izuku wiped his mouth under his mask, his body barely standing. He was strong—but he wasn't invincible. He was pushing himself too far too quickly. Izuku slowly rose, holding his side. His voice was weaker now, but his laughter remained. "Oh, how fascinating," he wheezed. "You feel it, don't you?"
All Might's gaze darkened. He didn't know what trickery this was, but he wasn't about to let it continue. He charged again, this time with more caution.
Izuku dodged, barely, but he wasn't fast enough to completely avoid the next strike. All Might's fist connected with his shoulder, sending him flying once more.
And then All Might recoiled, his own shoulder seizing in pain.
The students didn't notice—at least, not entirely. From their perspective, it just looked like All Might was tiring. Only All Might understood what was happening. This villain's quirk… it was unnatural.
Izuku groaned, collapsing onto his knees. He was done. One more hit, and he would be completely useless.
That was fine. He had already accomplished what he wanted. Izuku clicked his tongue. "Tch. So aggressive."
"Why are you doing this?" All Might demanded, his voice laced with frustration. "You're powerful… you could do so much good. Why throw it all away for senseless violence?"
Izuku tilted his head slightly, as if considering the question. "Good?" he echoed. "That word means nothing coming from you."
He took a step forward, his breath ragged. "Do you know what it feels like, All Might? To be powerless? To be trampled on by society, deemed worthless? No, of course not. You've never had to live a day where you weren't admired, worshipped even. But me? I've seen this world for what it truly is."
His voice darkened. "And now, I get to show them."
The second Nomu stepped forward once more. "Take it from here," Izuku whispered.
The monstrous creature obeyed.
As the battle between Nomu and All Might restarted, Izuku crawled backward, disappearing into the shadows. His hand gripped the voice modulator beneath his mask.
Now came the final part of the plan.
Minutes later, as the battle raged on, the students suddenly heard a commotion from behind.
"Deku!" Uraraka screamed.
The entire class turned, and there he was—Midoriya Izuku, dressed in his UA gym uniform, staggering into the light. His face was cut, his breathing ragged. "Help… me," he croaked.
The students rushed towards him, their concern overriding their fear.
"Where were you?!" Iida asked frantically.
"I—" Izuku gasped, eyes wide with fake panic. "They took me… I don't know where… but they're still—"
A sudden blur moved past them. Before anyone could react, a hand grabbed Izuku by the collar and yanked him back into the darkness.
Muscular stood there, grinning. "Sorry, kids," he sneered. "I'm taking this one back."
"No!" Ochaco screamed, reaching for Izuku's hand.
Their fingers barely brushed before Muscular leapt away, vanishing into the chaos.
"DEKU!"
The students were frozen in horror. He was gone.
Izuku, now in Muscular's grip, smirked beneath the chaos. His plan had worked. Now, he just had to make it out alive.
It was the perfect illusion. The perfect lie. And they all believed it.
A/N: Oh? What is this? A new chapter? Good question... It's been too long my friends, enjoy! I can't promise writing more but I really can't let this story go unfinished.