At the same time, on the other side of the forest.
While Ochako and Tsuyu were still acting reserved and comforting each other to ease their fear of the darkness and silence of the forest at night, suddenly a stranger appeared, making both of them confused about who it was.
Vault, wearing a black and red patterned Seifuku, a black skirt, black stockings and black doll shoes - all of which were stained with blood or some kind of dark red paint, stepped out and looked at them with a scary gaze and a gentle smile, causing both of them to pale and stand frozen in place, not daring to move, because seeing Vault in this form was no different from a real ghost.
Well, this might be a prank from class 1-B in "Test of Courage", but with this level of authenticity, it really might not be fake anymore...
Yep. This is not fake. But it wasn't true either, both Ochako and Tsuyu were thinking in their heads that this was a real female ghost hunting for victims and if they didn't run fast, they would be the next victims, especially when the "ghost" started pulling out a katana from her mouth and started speeding towards them in an extremely strange posture and at a terrifying speed that no longer resembled a human....
"Run... RUN NOW OCHAKO-CHAN!" Tsuyu shouted, wrapping her tongue around Ochako's waist and throwing her friend aside just as Vault rushed forward and slashed Tsuyu directly in the back, making her collapse on the spot.
"Tsu!!!"
Ochako's shrill scream tore through the silence of the night along with the sound of the rain falling. To her, the image of her best friend collapsing on the cold ground, fresh blood from the slash on her back starting to spread, soaking her white one-piece dress, and the figure of the person who did this, smiling faintly and slowly licking the blood from the sword, was truly worse than the most terrifying nightmare she had ever had before.
But even though she was so scared that she froze in terror, she still did not give herself the right to run away, because the person she considered her friend was lying there, with the blood trail starting to spread towards her, who was sitting on the ground - unable to control her fear and her legs "frozen" - was gradually urging her that there was not much time left, and she needed to do something to break through or both of them would lie down here.
"Fear... Fear is the most useless thing right now Ochako!" She screamed in her mind, forcing her trembling legs to obey, then slowly stood up, even though one more push would have sent her sprawling down.
Vault didn't rush. She stood there, tilting her head at a 90-degree angle—an angle that a normal human's neck bone couldn't reach without breaking—and stared at Ochako. The gleaming blade of her katana reflected the lightning that streaked across the night sky, and as soon as the thunderclap ended, Vault leaped forward, her katana aiming a deadly path straight at Ochako's neck.
In that moment of life and death, the image of Gunhead - her apprentice teacher - came to mind...
"Martial arts aren't just about defeating your enemies, Uraraka. It's about protecting you when you have no way back."
Ochako's body reacted automatically before her brain could process it. She leaned to one side, one hand grabbed Vault's sword handle, the other hand grabbed the back of her neck and used all her strength to pin her down to the ground to restrain her before she could save Tsuyu or at least bring her to a safe place for first aid, because the longer she waited, the less time she had left...
But Vault's confidence wasn't baseless.
From the back of Vault's neck, a blade shot up, piercing Ochako's hand, forcing her to pull her hand back and cry out in pain. Taking that opportunity, Vault turned around, stabbed her through her stomach with her sword, and kicked her towards Tsuyu who was lying there.
Does it hurt? It hurts. But what hurt even more was that not only could she not save her friend, but she couldn't even save herself…
And right in this dire situation, Izuku, Shoto, and Mezo had appeared in time, carrying a cold air and a suffocating pressure of anger.
A giant ice wall rose from the ground in an instant, standing between the Vault and the two severely injured girls, cutting off her vision and the momentum of her next attack, leaving her with no choice but to retreat.
"Shoji! Get them and Izuku out of there!" Shoto shouted, his voice colder than the ice he had just created. His two-colored eyes burned with a rare anger as he witnessed the bloody scene before him.
Mezo Shoji, with six muscular arms, didn't hesitate for a second. He rushed forward, using his strong arms to gently but firmly lift both Tsuyu and Ochako up. The blood from their wounds, mixed with the rainwater that soaked his shirt, the strong fishy smell mixed with the smell of rain and damp soil made things worse.
Izuku, despite being beaten up after the fight with Muscular, his arms were purple and swollen, almost useless as he lay on Mezo's back, but when he saw Uraraka holding her stomach - covered in blood - and Tsuyu lying motionless, he felt a cold rush of adrenaline run down his spine, overwhelming the physical pain.
"Uraraka-san! Asui-san!" He exclaimed, his voice cracking with terror.
He wanted to rush forward, wanted to use his hands to help, but the cruel reality reminded him that he couldn't even do anything, let alone save someone in this half-dead state.
"Don't move Midoriya!" Shoji roared, his voice echoing through his mask, six arms lifting Tsuyu and Ochako onto his back and continuing to run back to the camp at full speed, while Shoto stayed behind to deal with Mr. Compress - the one who had kidnapped both Fumikage and Katsuki not long ago...
"A student staying behind to play hero? How quaint," Compress mused, his voice muffled behind the mask. "But I'm afraid our show is on a tight schedule. We already have the prize." He patted the small pouch at his waist, where the blue marbles containing Bakugo and Tokoyami rattled softly.
"Give them back," Shoto demanded, his right side flaring with flames, melting the rain around him into steam. "Or else..."
"Come and get them, little hero..."
...
Guren, right after absorbing all the fire that the Dabi clone - created by Twice - created, clicked his tongue and looked down at the mess at his feet with a look of utter contempt, as if he had just stepped on a pile of dog shit on the side of the road rather than exterminating a high-level threat.
"I bet this isn't what I'm looking for. Waste of my damn time..."
Even though it was raining right now, the agent that caused his Quirk to mostly fail and not create fire, he didn't naturally become the Student Council President with just his own strength or become the Young Master of the family in such a quick and controversial way. Imagine, among people who only use Quirk to spit fire at each other, there appears a "superior individual" who can absorb fire, can shape and use the fire he has naturally absorbed or his own fire, and is also talented in swordsmanship, who wouldn't be jealous...
But even if he could, Guren still has enough ability to prove that those bastards are nothing compared to him, and even 10 Endeavors combined can't do anything to that extremely annoying fire absorption ability...
"Aizawa-sensei," Guren said, his voice lazy but resonant, not bothering to turn around to look at the teacher who was busy tying up another clone with a silk restraint. "You take care of the 'kindergarteners' inside with Vlad. I'll check on the ones outside."
Aizawa glanced at Guren with a look of wariness mixed with fatigue. "Where are you going, Guren? Your job is to protect the students with me, not to split up as you wish!"
"Protect?" Guren sneered, a half-smile filled with arrogance. "The best way to protect is to neutralize the ringleaders before they can do anything. Besides…" He squinted his eyes and looked deep into the forest, where a column of black smoke and a pale blue light was rising, despite the heavy rain.
"…That brat mentioned the 'blue flame'. This is really something worth paying attention to…"
Without waiting for an answer from Aizawa, and without even bothering to look at his teacher's helpless expression, Guren slowly walked into the night, as if things didn't seem to be as serious as this...
...
The forest ahead, which should have been shrouded in darkness and pouring rain, was now eerily lit by a deathly blue light. The temperature rose suddenly, turning the falling raindrops into scorching steam before they could even touch the ground. The acrid smell of burning wood, boiling sap, and destruction filled the air, thick and oppressive.
Guren walked leisurely, the greatsword slung over his shoulder still maintaining its terrifying stability, the tips of his white leather boots crushing the charred branches under his feet. He didn't seem to be in a hurry, but each step seemed to shorten the distance to the center of the chaos in an absurd way.
In front of him, leaning against a dry tree trunk that was burning fiercely, was a tall, thin figure with purple skin grafts pinned together with crude metal pins.
Dabi. He stood there, one hand in his pocket, the other casually juggling a glowing blue flame, his cold blue eyes staring at the newcomer with a mixture of boredom and cruelty.
"U.A. student?" Dabi spoke, his voice as hoarse as sandpaper on the pavement. "I thought you fake heroes were busy saving those brats? Are you lost, or..." He smirked, the flames in his hands flaring up more fiercely. "...are you in such a hurry to die?"
Guren stopped, about ten feet away from Dabi. He tilted his head, his amber eyes narrowing as he appraised the criminal before him like he was appraising a defective product. There was no fear, no tension, just pure contempt.
"Well..." Guren muttered, his voice lazy but echoing over the roar of the fire. "It turns out our informant was right. His 'bad product' is really here."
The smile on Dabi's lips vanished as he understood what Guren was referring to. His eyes darkened, killing intent exploded as blue flames enveloped his right arm.
"You talk too much, brat," Dabi roared, swinging his hand to release a giant blue hellfire towards Guren. The intense heat distorted the surrounding air, and the trees on both sides of the flame's path instantly evaporated. "DIE!"
But Guren didn't move. He didn't dodge, nor did he use his greatsword to block. He simply raised his left index finger, pointing straight at the flame that was rushing towards him like a ferocious beast...
The moment the flame touched Guren's hand, instead of burning him to ashes, it was sucked into his fingertips like water flowing into a valley. A small tornado formed at the point of contact, swallowing Dabi's entire firepower in an instant. The space around Guren became strangely quiet, the blue flames completely disappearing, leaving only a thin wisp of smoke rising from the tip of his index finger.
Dabi stared, his scarred face showing his astonishment. He had never seen anyone extinguish his flames so easily and... thoroughly.
"What the hell..."
Guren lowered his hand, a light wisp of smoke escaping from between his fingers. He clicked his tongue, his expression filled with disappointment.
"Now I understand why that guy thinks so highly of you," Guren smirked, a smile that was both arrogant and challenging. "But fighting me like this isn't enough..."
"Armed Form: External Fire"
With that, he stabbed the greatsword into the ground, then used Dabi's own flames that he had just absorbed to transform into a knight armor that was so bright and hot that even Dabi was surprised.
"Now then," Guren stepped forward, cocking his arms and prepare to attack, his amber eyes glowing like a predatory beast. "Shine..."