────────────────────────
[Divide Et Impera 3]
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|U.A. Nezu's office: |
...
"How is everything going, All Might?" Nezu asked, tapping an earpiece he was wearing.
He was looking at a TV broadcast, where the hero could be seen punching several hordes of Nomus into the ground with ease, his monstrous strength completely pulverizing any kind of numerical advantage.
Through the device, All Might's voice resonated.
{"I'm almost done here, principal. I'll be moving toward the next student soon!"}
Nezu nodded, even though he wasn't visible from All Might's side.
"Just be sure to clear out all the Nomus. We don't want our students coming to harm, do we?"
All Might let out a low hum of agreement.
Before long, his figure finished punching the last Nomu into orbit, then kicked off the ground and vanished from the scene.
And as he did, the distant figure of Rockinesis sat on a piece of rubble before dissipating into particles of crimson light.
'That makes young Uraraka safe.' Nezu thought, nodding to himself. 'And one less burden on Takahashi.'
Today had truly been a hectic day. Not only had Takahashi discovered—although he wasn't sure "discovered" was the right word, given the boy had probably known for a while already—who U.A.'s traitor was, with it turning out to be Aoyama, but soon after that an attack on all their students in their internships had begun.
The timing was almost comically inopportune.
Luckily, things were calming down now. With All Might on the board, it was only a matter of time before all the Nomus were taken care of. And Takahashi…
His eyes settled on another monitor in the room, showing a broadcast from a helicopter at a great distance from the epicenter—one that captured the battle of titans currently unfolding at Chiba.
His paw clenched into a fist as he watched the degree of damage the villain's rampage alone was causing.
'That villain again.' He thought, recalling the first time he and Takahashi had met.
Their fight back then hadn't been nearly as destructive.
Although, back then Takahashi had brought the villain to the bay to ensure his attacks wouldn't reach the city, and had done so via carrying him through the air.
So that had been one factor.
Another was…
'He seems to grow stronger.' He noted, having observed the villain's growth over time.
At that time, Takahashi hadn't pushed him that much.
Now, it was an entirely different story.
Both Takahashi and the villain clashed with a might that he might even say rivaled All Might's.
Shockwaves pulverized the already destroyed city further. Clashes thundered through the sky, sending the distant helicopter rattling from the pressure. Earth cracked and parted in their wake.
His student was, at last, being pushed to his limit.
And… it seemed he wasn't the only one who had noticed.
{"Principal."} All Might's voice came through the earpiece.
"What's wrong, All Might?"
{"Shouldn't I go help young Takahashi? This situation, it might be…"}
"The one Nighteye saw of Takahashi's death?" Nezu finished for him.
A beat of silence in the communication. Then All Might hummed in agreement.
Nezu smiled. "Perhaps it would be the smart thing to send you to help him right now. That way, we would severely reduce the chances of anything actually happening to him."
{"Then…"}
"But you know Nighteye's visions as well as I do. Even if we try to change a variable, it's highly unlikely it will change the final result. It has always been that way—until a certain someone appeared."
"Young Takahashi." All Might guessed.
Nezu smirked.
"Yes, this might just be the dreaded moment where happens… but if there's someone capable of going beyond mere fate, then it's Takahashi."
{"Still—"}
"If you were to go help him right now, there's no way of knowing whether something will happen to the other students. His clones are out there helping—but that still doesn't guarantee something unexpected won't occur. The number of clones he's dispersed is enormous, and I don't doubt it's cost him considerably, so the clones must also have a limited capacity…"
His eyes settled back on the TV, showing Taka and Gigantomachia clashing like beasts, neither willing to give an inch.
"And risking something happening to the other students because we didn't trust our student enough to let him handle the big part while we handled the rest… wouldn't that be insulting him?"
{"Principal…"}
"I trust Takahashi. All Might, you've seen what he can do. Do you trust him?"
A deep silence settled between both.
Then—
{"I do."}
"Then go help the rest of the students."
His eyes focused on Taka's figure on screen, outlined in crimson against the carnage, standing firm even before the walking catastrophe.
Knowing him, he was probably smirking under that mask.
"A vision is just that. A vision—it can't determine our real future… and even if it could, I don't have the slightest doubt that if anyone can go against it, it's Takahashi."
The crimson light from his student reflected in his pupils.
"Because that kid Takahashi, he is…"
All Might decided to finish the sentence for him.
{"The future number one."}
...
°
°
°
| Chiba… |
...
—CRKCKCKCK!—
Gigantomachia's body was launched backward, dragging a trail across several streets.
He ended up overturning from the momentum, whipping his body around and digging his claws into the earth to skid to a stop, rising dust in his wake.
Yet even as he finally came to a stop, the fight hardly did.
-Swoosh!-
Taka appeared before him. Then, without even letting him catch his breath—
—CLANG!—
Punched him straight into orbit.
His figure soared across the sky, ascending like a firework.
And following him, something far more resembling a firework caught up—ascending at his same speed, appearing to stop right before his face.
"This is a familiar situation, isn't it?!" Taka's taunting laugh echoed across the sky.
"Urgh!"
Gigantomachia swung at him mid-air—yet failed, as Taka vanished from there.
… Appearing right behind him instead.
"How about I make you remember?!"
The instant he said that, the aura around him condensed like a laser focusing solely around his body, and then—
—CLANG!—
He punched.
Gigantomachia was launched forward.
—CLANG!—
And then to the side.
—CLANG!—
And then back.
—CLANG!—
And then to the other side.
—CLANG!—
And again, and again.
—CLANG!—
—CLANG!—
—CLANG!—
—CLANG!—
—CLANG!—
—CLANG!—
—CLANG!—
—CLANG!—
—CLANG!—
—CLANG!—
—CLANG!—
—CLANG!—
—CLANG!—
—CLANG!—
—CLANG!—
—CLANG!—
Even as they continued to ascend, Gigantomachia's body was forced into a vacuum as devastating punches slammed into him from all sides, several orbit-like trails of crimson surrounding his frame as he continued to rise and sag like a ragdoll being smacked in every direction.
And soon, as they ascended well above the clouds, something happened.
As the air in his lungs was slammed against him, Gigantomachia found it hard to breathe as the air grew scarce… and Taka noticed it.
Circling around his body one last time, he stopped directly above him…
"You're not getting off that easy."
—Winding up one last punch.
—CLANG!!!!!!—
One that sent Gigantomachia back down, diving like an uncontrolled comet.
Only, that hadn't been the end.
Taka's figure shot down after him, like a comet of his own.
And then—
—CLANG!!!!!!—
He punched Gigantomachia again, propelling him faster.
—CLANG!!!!!!—
And then again.
—CLANG!!!!!!—
—CLANG!!!!!!—
—CLANG!!!!!!—
—CLANG!!!!!!—
Until at last, he couldn't catch up to the villain again. The giant's body ignited from the friction of air and his own velocity, crashing down so fast that even Taka at maximum speed could no longer keep pace.
And with all that accumulated momentum and speed—
—BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!—
Gigantomachia landed.
A crater the size of at least an entire city block formed upon impact, the earth bending from the force, and a column of dust rising so high it almost touched the sky. Earth split apart, and whatever had been there was simply gone.
-Thud-
As the dust overtook most of the zone, Taka landed on a nearby pile of rubble, breathing slightly hard.
His eyes shifted to check his aura.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Total Aura: 150,914 → 87,348 (57%)
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Seven clones remained.
"RAAAAAAH!"
"…?!"
A figure burst through the smoke, charging straight at him faster than he'd expected.
Caught off guard, he had no choice but to take it.
—CRKCKCKCK!—
Like a rhino, Gigantomachia slammed directly onto him and proceeded to drag him across the ground with violence.
Before the giant could properly grasp him, though, he slipped away with his speed, circling around and stopping at his back.
"You didn't even stay one second on the ground, you psycho!"
"MASTER!"
Gigantomachia spun around to face him.
Taka clicked his tongue.
"Whatever, not like I wanted this over so soon anyway."
And so, with no further talk—
"RAAAAAH!"
"AAAAAH!"
Both shot at each other again.
—CLANG!!!!!!—
Fists met.
—CLANG!!!!!!—
—CLANG!!!!!!—
—CLANG!!!!!!—
—CLANG!!!!!!—
Shockwaves exploded left and right as both unleashed a barrage at each other, each meeting the other and stopping it in its tracks.
Until Gigantomachia drew out his claws again, slashing at Taka.
Yet—
"You wanna play like that?!"
Instead of dodging or blocking, Taka wound both arms back, his fists turning into straight palms, and then—
—SHIIIIIIN!!!—
He slashed too, swinging each palm in an X across his body.
What followed was bizarre, even for Machia.
"…?!"
Before his attack on Taka could land, lines of raw energy formed along the claws—before they split cleanly, as if divided at an atomic level.
-Boom-
They collapsed powerlessly without ever reaching Taka.
Sadly for Gigantomachia, that attack hadn't only been aimed at his claws.
-Splurt!-
The next instant, an X-shaped gash formed on his chest, bursting with blood.
Yet, even as it did…
"RAAAAAH!"
Gigantomachia remained uncaring, going straight back to swinging at Taka, who had no choice but to retreat momentarily to avoid getting caught in the onslaught.
"Tch, even at this level it can only deal superficial damage?" He muttered.
Gigantomachia's Quirk strengthened his muscles, not his nails or hair. Well, technically they still received a boost, but nowhere near as much as his flesh.
Hence why he'd been able to cut down the giant claws, but still only dealt superficial damage to the chest.
"No matter."
His eyes gleamed with a sharp light, his figure flashing and appearing before Gigantomachia.
Making use of the small window of surprise that having his claws cut had created, he slammed a sucker punch into the beast's face.
—CLANG!!!!!!—
The giant's body was sent rolling away, uncontrolled and limp.
And as it did, Taka felt something.
Six clones remained.
"Hngh!"
Mid-roll, Gigantomachia caught himself by digging what remained of his claws into the earth, kicking off the ground and propelling himself back at Taka.
And once again, Taka's figure flashed, fists igniting with aura.
—TATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!—
Another barrage fell upon Gigantomachia, who swung uncaringly for his own body in response.
—CLANG!!!!!!—
—TATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!—
—CLANG!!!!!!—
—TATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!—
—CLANG!!!!!!—
—TATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!—
Some punches landed cleanly on Gigantomachia's body, making the mass of hardened muscle tremble slightly. Some clashed with Machia's own fists, shaking the earth and rupturing even the air in their collision.
Through all of it, Gigantomachia remained just as unaffected, pushing forward no matter how many of his fists were met or how many he received in return.
His raw defenses allowed him to fight that way.
…At least…
Five clones remained.
Until something changed.
The clashes that had been evenly matched until then… started carrying more energy behind them than before.
—TATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!—
—CLANG!!!!!!—
—TATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!—
—CLANG!!!!!!—
—TATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!—
"Urgh!"
Then, the stalemate broke. Slowly, Gigantomachia's feet—which had been digging into the ground to hold position—began being pushed back.
His nails dragged across the concrete, leaving a trail, and despite that he kept receding.
His arms, which had handled the exertion fine until now, began lagging—slower, less able to resist the recoil of each clash.
—Until, after a full minute of continuous exchanges, his until-then-unbroken posture…
—CLANG!!!!!!—
"ARGH!"
Crumbled at last.
The instant Gigantomachia's fist was overpowered and his stance broke completely, Taka made use of it immediately.
He supercharged, aura swirling around his body like electricity.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[STATUS PAGE]
▸ Strength: (186 Base) 50,000 → 85,000
▸ Defense: (372 Base) 20,000 → 5000
▸ Aura Projection: 25,000 → 5000
―――――――――――――
Total Aura: 151,914 → 94,945 (63%)
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
And, like a missile, he shot at Gigantomachia's stomach.
—BAM!!!!!!—
His fist dug into him, folding the giant in half.
And, following that, Gigantomachia was sent skidding across the city.
—Boom!—
—Boom!—
—Boom!—
—Boom!—
Three or four buildings paid the price of his uncontrolled body dragging across the ground, crumbling instantly under the impact.
And as he did, Taka felt even more changes.
Four clones remained.
Three clones remained.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Total Aura: 151,914 → 102,541 (68%)
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Smirking despite his hurried breathing, he slammed both fists against each other.
"You aren't looking so good now, are you?"
In the distance, Gigantomachia rose from within the dust and smoke.
Wobbly. Slightly dazed.
As the dust settled, a trail of blood was visible running down his mouth.
Yet Taka knew he was still far from defeated.
He was superior in strength to the guy now. Maybe he had been for a while—but his defenses still proved absurd compared to everything else.
He'd felt it in his last punch. Even though he'd finally been able to move the wall of muscle and cause real damage, it had still felt like punching a mountain.
He gave his total aura a look.
Still at barely 68%. It would reach 75% once the rest of the clones were dismissed.
And then the rest would recover gradually over time.
'Though that will take a while… more than this fight will probably last.'
He let out a laugh. Even though he was still outclassed in durability, that didn't mean he couldn't wear Gigantomachia down. He could hurt him now, and that meant he could win.
He didn't need 100%.
Feeling fired up, Taka took a moment to breathe properly and recover.
Those last barrages had taken a real toll.
Sadly, that rest didn't last long.
"Master…"
"… Don't you get bored of repeating yourself so much?" Taka asked, body coiling, ready for the fight again.
Yet, instead of finding Gigantomachia ready to pounce on him again—the monster did something else.
-Sniff, sniff-
Like a dog, his head lifted as he scented the air.
"My mission, I will fulfill it, master!"
And then, it turned in a certain direction, gaze locking onto something.
Taka followed his gaze, squinting for a moment… until he saw.
Jiro, carrying the old man, alongside what appeared to be a felled hero.
'Crap, when did we get so close?!'
They hadn't. Jiro was still about a mile away.
She had been hiding thoroughly, which must have made her think she was safe.
But Gigantomachia clearly wasn't relying on sight here.
And a mile of distance wasn't going to be enough.
"Found you, my mission!"
Without further thought, Gigantomachia kicked the ground, shifting his objective from Taka to Jiro.
Two clones remained.
"Where—"
Taka shot forward just as fast—no, faster.
Twice, four times, ten times faster.
—BOOM!!!!—
The air condensed around him as he pushed to supersonic degrees.
"—DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!"
Gigantomachia, who had just begun charging toward Jiro… was forced to take the full brunt of that charge before he could get anywhere near her.
—BAM!!!!!!—
"ARGH!"
Air escaped Gigantomachia regardless of whether he felt the pain or not. Taka's crimson-covered figure slammed directly onto his ribs, folding the skin and muscle beneath—yet even that wasn't enough to stop Taka's momentum.
Like a helpless child, Gigantomachia was carried off as Taka continued charging, slowly forcing the giant off his feet—until both began rising through the air.
Under Jiro's awed gaze, the gigantic villain was carried aloft by what looked like a crimson star, slowly ascending into the sky.
"That crimson aura…" A mutter escaped Jiro's mouth.
Meanwhile, high above, Taka and Gigantomachia continued to ascend, heat rising on Gigantomachia's back as their momentum created friction against the very air.
Soon, they pierced the clouds. Then, once again, the air began growing scarce.
Yet Taka didn't stop.
He continued ascending, unmoved, even as Gigantomachia recovered somewhat from the blow and tried to punch him. None of which mattered, because Taka remained fixed on his ascent.
… Until soon, they reached the limit.
One clone remained.
With it, he finally stopped pushing Gigantomachia upward.
Yet that didn't stop the giant's momentum immediately. He continued ascending for a moment on his own.
Something Taka used to get a word in.
As Gigantomachia ascended uncontrolled and without leverage, Taka floated up beside his face at the giant's same speed, keeping pace with his momentum while seeming to stand on nothing with his arms crossed.
Then he spoke.
"I didn't want to do this since I probably won't come away unscathed either… But I think I'm done playing around."
His eyes, gleaming with a crimson light, settled directly over Gigantomachia's.
"Time to crash this party."
And just as he finished saying those words, Gigantomachia's momentum died.
He slowed on his ascent, until he came to a stop.
Then he began to plummet, his helpless body unable to do anything to his opponent as gravity claimed him.
Taka remained above, watching the falling villain with cold eyes.
Then—
—FWOOOOSH!—
His aura flared up, his arms uncrossing as he turned to face the falling villain, energy gathering around him in tandem.
Veins surfaced on his face, visible even through the torn vigilante costume.
Electricity sparked around him as the enormous torch of aura surrounding him began compressing, turning him into a beacon of pure, condensed, destructive energy.
And then—
No clones remaining.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Total Aura: 151,914 → 113,935 (75%)
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
He shot down.
—BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!—
The sky thundered. Air split, compressed, and ignited at his burst.
Real fire began surrounding him as he fell—coupled with the flames of aura already wreathing him, they made him look like an actual meteor.
It became a matter of mere instants before he caught up to Gigantomachia.
And just like before, he drove into the giant's stomach, applying all his momentum to him as well, effectively propelling both of them into a catastrophic descent.
One of enormous proportions.
...
Far away, the helicopter of reporters recording the incident finally caught sight of him high above the clouds.
"There he is!"
The cameraman aimed skyward, where what seemed to be a falling star slowly crashing down illuminated the now-dark sky.
"They are coming down. The villain and Rockinesis, crashing down with full force!" The reporter exclaimed, hanging from the helicopter's edge as he pointed at the descending star. "This looks like the very end of the world, ladies and gentlemen!"
Everywhere across Japan, eyes remained on the last disaster that had struck the country today. The only fight still ongoing—and one that had shaken the entire nation to its core.
Threats on a level no one had expected to still exist—on par with the number one hero—had come to crash before everyone's eyes.
Until now, the true extent of Rockinesis's strength had been speculated about. The strongest—and probably only—vigilante of today remained a dubious subject due to his limited appearances and lack of any real equals.
Some still believed he only amounted to the level of several A-class villains, based on his old fights against such.
Some even speculated he might give All Might a run for his money—though they were quickly drowned out by the general voice of the crowd.
Yet today, that was changing.
As everyone saw the falling star on TV, on livestreams, or heard it through the radio—descending like a meteor about to end it all—the true might of the strongest vigilante of today was finally conveyed.
All Might represented unsurmountable strength. Power and nobility without equal. An unbreakable symbol of peace who would never buckle before any villain.
He was strength without defeat.
But the man they were watching now, falling like a death sentence upon the villain who had wrecked an entire city like it was nothing—it was something entirely different.
As everyone watched the star finally reach the ground, goosebumps crawling across their skin, a single thought echoed in everyone's mind at once.
Rockinesis… was power.
—BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!—
What followed only cemented that notion.
An explosion so bright and enormous rose into the sky.
Earth sank, creating rings of deeper and deeper levels that reached their lowest at the epicenter.
Cracks spread outward like a spiderweb, along with fissures extending further still, all originating from the center.
Then, came the shockwave.
As soon as it emerged, it was clearly visible—advancing from its origin, expanding in every direction like an atomic bomb had gone off.
Soon it reached the helicopter, forcing the reporter and cameraman to grab on as the aircraft experienced severe turbulence.
Just seeing the level of devastation it created, even from that enormous distance, made everyone understand what they were truly witnessing.
The top.
...
°
°
°
| A minute or so later… |
...
From the still-present cloud of dust, a figure walked out, the dust parting before it—revealing…
-Cough, cough-
Taka, now with his face much more exposed.
His Rockinesis costume was a wreck. His hood was greatly charred, his mask torn apart. The rest was singed and greatly torn as well.
-Schk!-
Grumbling, he yanked the broken piece of mask off his face and heaved a long sigh.
Then he floated up to the ruins of a nearby building, landing on top, and turned to stare down at the epicenter of what had been his most destructive attack to date.
"Urgh." He groaned, attempting to lift both arms and barely making them budge.
They were probably broken. Even after redirecting most of his stats into defense, the landing—combined with all the accumulated momentum—had still managed to break his arms, which had taken the full brunt of whatever Gigantomachia's giant body hadn't absorbed during the crash.
Frowning, he turned back toward the remaining dust cloud blanketing the entire zone.
Only—the next second, a single glare was enough to send a sweeping wave of aura that cleared it away.
…Revealing, much to his satisfaction, a defeated and shrunken Gigantomachia—now completely buried under several collapsed buildings, reduced to rubble around him.
He didn't know whether the man was dead or unconscious. But it didn't change the most important fact.
He had won.
Against Gigantomachia.
He had won.
"Hahaha…" He let out a low chuckle.
With this, he finally cemented his standing in the world. With this, he was finally certain of where he currently stood.
At the top.
"Haha…"
His laugh died down, turning into a simple smile.
One filled with satisfaction.
Seeing the giant monster now at the center of a crater, utterly defeated, all at his hands—Taka felt the need to sit down, exhaustion settling into his body.
He had come so far.
He had told himself this many times already—but for the first time, the feeling was as vivid as it had ever been.
This path he had taken, it was amazing.
From standing at the sidelines, watching Seiji be the hero while he could only curse his own genetics.
From being a looked-down-upon kid, amid many special kids with all sorts of powers.
From a kid who had to be raised by a stranger, powerless in a world that seemed to favor everyone else.
From a non-existent character in someone else's story—to this.
For once, he could feel it vividly.
Takahashi Fukumoto existed.
And not even All For One had been able to deny that, even with fate favoring him.
HE EXISTED.
Though, of course…
"I haven't forgotten." He muttered as he turned, scanning the surroundings with a sharp gaze.
This situation—it looked too similar to Nighteye's vision, didn't it?
He was tired. His arms were broken. His aura was still slowly regenerating, not yet back to full.
If there was a moment to strike, wouldn't it be this?
...
He kept scanning.
Yet no matter how long he looked—nothing appeared.
Nothing attacked.
Nothing lunged.
Nothing.
He was alone, accompanied only by the silence of the destroyed city and the whistling wind.
Oh, and Gigantomachia's dubiously alive body.
But nothing else.
Still, he didn't lower his guard. He extended his scanning ability, pushing it thoroughly across the area, searching for any movement, sign of life, or whatever might indicate approaching danger.
Nothing.
Could it be that All For One had a stealth Quirk?
Was he being sneaked up on?
He kept his senses open, ears perked for any sound or disturbance.
Still nothing.
'So I did it.' A scoff left his mouth. 'I beat fate.'
And, as if to confirm it, soon he was able to make out a figure approaching in the distance.
Too far to see clearly—but given the enormous jumps and monstrous physical ability, he could clearly guess it was All Might, closing in.
"Talk about being—"
—SQUELCH!—
"Late?" A voice answered for him.
By the time Taka's gaze dropped, he saw what he had dreaded for the past few days.
A grotesque arm, piercing his chest directly.
…
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-To Be Continued…-
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(A/N: Sorry for the delay, between a heavy amount of assignments, and having to go and come back from college during my usual hours of uploading while also being exhausted for the rest of the day, I lost sense of time.
I have a few extra chapters stocked up though, so I should be able to upload another chapter tomorrow.
If I remember...
Anyway, I felt unusually mentally challenged while writing this chapter. Maybe because Gigantomachia didn't offer much variety in combat, since he's ultimately a very durable punching bag, and so it felt unusually hard to construct different scenes around the fight.
By this point his enormous strength also posed little real threat to Taka, so yeah.)