Chapter 53: When the Fire Loses Its Calm ( Part 1)
The clearing erupted into motion as the Nomu attacked.
They came fast and without pattern, crashing through trees and earth alike. Some charged straight at the students, others leapt over them, claws tearing at the ground as they landed. The smell of blood and smoke mixed in the air.
Harue moved first.
Fire surged around his body as he lifted off the ground, flames pulling tight to his form. He shot forward like a living projectile, slamming straight through the first Nomu that came within range. Its chest caved inward as fire tore through it, the creature collapsing before it even hit the ground.
He did not slow.
Harue twisted in the air, grabbed another Nomu by the head, and drove it face-first into the dirt. Heat poured into it, burning from the inside out. He released it and was already moving again.
Every strike was fast. Direct. Controlled.
He flew low across the clearing, cutting off Nomu before they could reach the students. Fire lashed out in short bursts, precise and deadly. He did not waste motion or energy.
Behind him, the rest of the field struggled to keep up.
"Hold formation," Mandalay shouted through the chaos, her voice echoing in everyone's mind. "Do not break ranks."
Pixie-Bob slammed her hands into the ground.
The earth answered.
Walls rose around the students in rough half-circles, blocking incoming Nomu and funneling them into narrower paths. The ground shifted again as large shapes pulled themselves free.
Earth beasts.
Crude but massive, shaped like wolves and bears, they charged forward under Pixie-Bob's control, crashing into Nomu and knocking them off balance.
"Combat ready students forward," Mandalay ordered. "The rest stay back and support."
Bakugo blasted into the air with a roar, explosions tearing through two Nomu at once.
Several other student also joined him.
Bakugo drove forward relentlessly, blowing apart Nomu with raw force. Tetsutetsu hardened and tackled one head-on, grappling it and keeping it away from the others until Bakugo finished it off.
Kendo stayed close to the barriers. She did not charge. She waited. When a Nomu broke through, she struck its legs, knocking it back long enough for the earth beasts to pin it down.
She was breathing hard. Her arms shook.
She was still fighting.
Most of the students could not do much more than run or defend. They blocked, distracted, delayed. That was all they could manage, and it was enough.
Then Harue noticed something wrong.
One Nomu walked through his fire.
The flames rolled over its skin, scorching it, but not stopping it. It kept moving, eyes locked on him.
Another followed.
Then a third.
Harue landed lightly and faced them, fire rolling off him in waves.
"Fire resistance," he said quietly.
The Nomu rushed him together.
Harue did not retreat.
The heat around him spiked.
The air warped violently as his temperature climbed higher. The resistant Nomu slowed, their movements becoming stiff. Their skin glowed faintly, then cracked.
Harue raised one hand.
The flames shifted.
They grew brighter. Denser.
The resistant Nomu screamed as their bodies overheated all at once. Their resistance failed under the pressure. Flesh split. Bones burned. They collapsed in smoking heaps.
Harue exhaled once.
Around him, the remaining Nomu faltered.
That was when the gunshot echoed.
The sharp crack cut through everything.
Harue turned his head.
A bullet tore toward him through the air.
It never reached him.
The intense heat around his body melted it instantly. Liquid metal splashed apart and vanished before touching his skin.
The clearing fell silent.
Harue laughed softly.
He vanished.
The forest blurred as he launched himself forward, following the direction of the shot. Trees burned as he passed, bark blackening from the heat trail he left behind.
He landed in a smaller clearing.
Three figures stood there.
Magne froze, eyes wide.
Mustard stumbled back, gun shaking in his hands.
Moonfish twitched, teeth grinding as his blades rattled.
Harue did not hesitate.
Magne rushed him.
He struck once.
Her/His body burst apart into gray sludge before it hit the ground.
(AN: idk much about this character, but i think they are trans correct me if I'm wrong)
A clone.
Harue turned immediately.
Mustard tried to fire again. The gun jammed as the barrel overheated. Harue crossed the distance in a blink and knocked him out with a single blow.
Moonfish lunged.
Harue caught him mid-charge and drove him into the ground. Fire flared briefly. Moonfish went limp.
Harue straightened.
Real bodies.
"…Twice does not know two you well," Harue said quietly.
He grabbed the two unconscious villains and lifted off.
When he returned to the clearing, the fight was already ending.
Only a few Nomu remained, and they were being overwhelmed. Pixie-Bob's earth beasts pinned them down. Bakugo blasted the last one apart with a final explosion.
The students were shaken, injured, but standing.
Harue dropped Mustard and Moonfish near the pros.
"Secure them," he said.
Mandalay nodded sharply.
Harue scanned the group.
Everyone accounted for.
For now.
He relaxed a fraction.
That was when the ground beneath Bakugo warped.
Dark purple mist spiraled open at his feet.
"Oi what the hell is this," Bakugo snapped.
A hand shot out.
Before anyone could react, Bakugo's body compressed instantly, his shout cut off as he was turned into a marble.
Another portal opened beneath Mineta.
He screamed as hands grabbed him.
Harue moved.
A beam of fire tore through the air and struck one of the hands. It dissolved into gray sludge instantly.
Mineta dropped to the ground, screaming and sobbing uncontrollably.
The other hand vanished with Bakugo's marble.
Two Mr. Compress clones appeared briefly at the edge of the clearing, retreating into the forest.
"BAKUGO," someone shouted.
Panic spread.
"SHUT UP," Harue roared.
His voice slammed through the clearing, cutting off every sound.
The students froze.
Harue turned to Momo.
"Can you make trackers," he asked sharply.
Momo swallowed and nodded. "Yes. I can."
"Do it. Now."
She dropped to her knees immediately and began creating them.
Harue stared toward the forest.
Toward the lodge.
His jaw tightened.
Mina.
The fire around him burned hotter.
And this time, it was not controlled at all.