Chapter 52 The True Test
The room was dark.
Machines hummed softly, their rhythm slow and constant, like a mechanical heartbeat. Tubes ran across the floor and up the walls, feeding into a figure seated at the center of it all.
A man sat in a reinforced chair, his body wrapped in cables, needles, and life-support devices. Transparent tubes pulsed faintly, carrying fluids whose purpose only one man in the world fully understood. Monitors flickered beside him, casting pale light over scarred skin and the ruined shape of his face.
All For One hummed quietly to himself.
The sound echoed faintly through the chamber—thoughtful, almost amused. After a moment, the humming stopped.
"Doctor."
From the far side of the room, the scratch of a pen paused.
Dr. Kyudai Garaki straightened from his notes, adjusted his glasses, and shuffled closer. His hunched form was framed briefly by the glow of the monitors as he approached his master.
"Yes?" Garaki replied.
"All preparations for tomorrow," All For One said calmly. "Are they in place?"
Garaki nodded. "The Nomu are prepared. The duplicates are stable. Twice's cooperation has been… sufficient. Every variable we discussed has been accounted for."
Silence followed.
Garaki hesitated, fingers tightening around his clipboard. "…Still," he said carefully, "this level of chaos will draw unprecedented attention. Shigaraki is not yet ready to inherit your mantle. And with this move, all of Japan will be searching for us."
All For One tilted his head slightly, as if considering the concern.
"Your body is still in a weakened state," Garaki continued. "And we have yet to identify All Might's successor. Acting now carries—"
A soft chuckle interrupted him.
"Risk?" All For One finished, amused.
The sound was low, distorted, and entirely devoid of fear.
"I am not concerned with risk," he said. "I am concerned with competition."
Garaki's eyes flickered.
"There is a variable on the board," All For One continued, his voice smooth and deliberate. "One whose power rivals the top heros. I wish to know whether it can be bent… or whether it will shatter when placed under the proper strain."
The machines hummed louder for a moment.
"Strength alone cannot solve everything," All For One said softly. "And tomorrow, we will see how he reacts when strength is no longer enough."
He leaned back slightly in his chair, cables shifting with a faint mechanical hiss.
A smile formed beneath the mask.
"Let us see if you are up to par, fiery brat," he murmured.
"…Or if this breaks you."
—————-
The next day passed quietly, almost too quietly.
By late evening, both Class 1-A and Class 1-B had finished their joint training and eaten together. The earlier tension from the morning drills had faded into tired chatter and loose laughter. Plates were stacked, equipment packed away, and students slowly drifted outside the lodge as the sky darkened.
Harue stood slightly apart from the others.
His hands were in his pockets, eyes lifted toward the treeline. On the surface, he looked calm. Relaxed, even. Inside, his thoughts were sharp and focused.
Tonight.
He had already changed one key event. The test of courage never happened. He had brought his concerns to the teachers early, framing it as a safer team-building alternative. They had listened. A different exercise was prepared. Less wandering. Less separation.
Less opportunity.
Mina and Kaminari had been pulled aside earlier for revision classes with Aizawa. Vlad King was there as well, along with several students from Class 1-B who needed extra instruction. Harue considered that a small win. They were indoors. Surrounded by teachers. Harder to reach.
Good, he thought. At least they are safe.
Still, he did not relax.
As the sun disappeared completely, both classes gathered outside the lodge. A campfire was lit, small and controlled. Students sat around it in loose circles, talking about training, arguing over food, teasing each other. Laughter carried into the night air.
Harue stayed standing.
His eyes kept moving. Counting people. Counting shadows.
Then it happened.
A deep explosion tore through the forest.
The sound hit first, heavy and violent. A second later, heat followed.
Someone screamed.
From between the trees, a massive wall of blue fire surged forward, rolling across the ground like a living thing. It swallowed the darkness, turning night into harsh light.
For half a second, everyone froze.
Harue moved.
Flames erupted from his body in an instant. His skin vanished beneath fire as his entire form ignited. He stepped forward without hesitation, meeting the attack head-on.
The wall of blue fire crashed into him.
Instead of burning through, it was pulled in.
The flames wrapped around Harue, spiraling inward, feeding into his own. The heat twisted, bent, and disappeared into his body. The ground beneath his feet cracked, but he did not move back even a step.
The fire vanished.
Silence followed.
The students stared.
Harue stood where the attack had hit, his body fully wreathed in flame. The fire did not lash out. It stayed tight to him, controlled. His eyes glowed faintly as he turned his head.
"Mandalay," he shouted. "Contact the teachers. Aizawa and Vlad King. Now."
The Wild Wild Pussycats snapped out of their shock.
Tiger moved first, stepping in front of the students. Pixie-Bob slammed her hands to the ground, shaping the earth into barriers. Ragdoll scanned the area, teeth clenched. Mandalay pressed her fingers to her temple, already reaching out.
Students were pulled back. Groups formed. Panic tried to spread, but the pros moved fast.
As Mandalay focused, her eyes widened.
"Kota," she said, her voice tight. "He is not here."
Izuku stiffened.
His mind flashed back to the previous evening. The quiet spot near the stream. The way Kota had turned away.
"I know where he is," Izuku said.
Before anyone could grab him, green lightning burst around his body as he activated One For All. He took off into the forest at full speed.
"Midoriya, stop," someone yelled.
Harue turned sharply.
"Do not let him go alone," he said loudly. "Kirishima. Todoroki. Go with him."
Then his eyes locked onto Tiger.
"Tiger-san," Harue added firmly, "please follow them. They need adult supervision."
Tiger clicked his tongue. "Yeah. No way I am letting kids run off alone."
Kirishima hardened instantly and sprinted after Izuku. Todoroki followed, ice forming under his feet to boost his speed. Tiger charged after them, vanishing into the trees moments later.
The rest remained behind.
Eyes turned back to Harue.
He was still burning, still calm.
Then came a slow clap.
Once. Twice.
From the shadows beyond the firelight, a tall figure stepped forward.
Blue flames flickered around his body as he clapped, a lazy grin stretched across his face.
"Man," Dabi said, shaking his head. "That fire of yours."
He stopped clapping and stared openly now, eyes sharp with something ugly underneath the smile.
"Do you have any idea what I would give for a quirk like that?"
The flames around his body flared higher.
"To burn like that without tearing yourself apart," he continued. "To control it. To own it."
His grin twisted.
"I would have done anything."
Students shifted uneasily behind Harue. Some recognized the villain instantly. Others only felt the pressure rolling off him.
Harue did not respond.
"You did not panic," Dabi went on. "Did not hesitate. You absorbed my flames like they belonged to you."
He let out a short laugh.
"Honestly? It pisses me off."
Blue fire surged around his arm as he raised it.
He never finished the motion.
A beam of concentrated fire shot from Harue's palm and pierced straight through Dabi's shoulder. The force sent him staggering back a step.
The students gasped.
Instead of blood, thick gray liquid spilled from the wound, dripping to the ground with a wet sound.
Dabi looked down at it, then laughed.
"Ruthless," he said. "Guess I deserved that."
His body began to soften, edges blurring.
"But do not get too excited," he added. "I am just a clone."
His form collapsed into gray goo, melting into the dirt and vanishing completely.
The forest went quiet again.
Too quiet.
Harue felt it before he saw it.
Movement.
Heavy footsteps. Many of them.
From all directions, shapes emerged between the trees.
Nomu.
Dozens of them.
Tall. Twisted. Muscular. Some moved on all fours, others stood upright. Their eyes glowed faintly as they closed in, forming a wide circle around the clearing.
Students backed away until there was nowhere left to go.
Harue stepped forward.
Flames intensified around him, heat rolling outward in waves.
"Do not scatter," he said firmly. "Stay together. Protect each other."
The Nomu roared.
And the night exploded into chaos.
End of the chapter