"That's more like it…" Kameshou Gin smiled as she watched the Nomu move with noticeably increased agility.
Shigaraki stood there dumbfounded for a moment, then scratched his neck awkwardly as if trying to hide something.
Damn, Gin's smile is way too cute.
"!" While Shigaraki was distracted, Aizawa launched an attack. Kurogiri acted just in time, using his Quirk to prevent Shigaraki from being caught off guard.
"Tch." Shigaraki clicked his tongue in frustration and went on the offensive against Aizawa. Kurogiri attempted to support him, but Bakugou and Todoroki rushed at him. With no other choice, Kurogiri abandoned Shigaraki and began dodging their attacks instead.
"Ugh…" The Nomu's movements were now much faster, and with Shigaraki's restriction—"Do not harm her"—lifted, Gin was struggling to keep up. Small wounds were already appearing on her body.
Meanwhile, Aizawa had successfully pinned Shigaraki to the ground.
"Ugh, so annoying. Nomu, come here."
The Nomu responded instantly. It stepped down hard, leaving a visible imprint in the metallic ground, then launched toward Aizawa at a speed barely perceptible to the human eye.
The Nomu's headless body fell just inches in front of Aizawa and Shigaraki.
Its head—severed by momentum—landed more than ten meters behind them.
"Hah. One hundred percent? Is that all?" Gin, her arms twisted at disturbing angles, flashed Shigaraki a defiant smile.
Gin's Combat Breakdown
Gin uses special alloys she transmutes as a Quirk user. Each of her ten designated battle metals has unique properties:
#6: Huge range; expands to double volume in liquid state.
#7: Heat-resistant.
#8: Cold-resistant.
#9: Exceptionally sharp.
#10: Ultra-fast activation.
Gin timed her movement perfectly. She used #10 for quick activation, attached herself to the ground, wrapped her arms in metal, and repositioned herself behind the Nomu.
Though her blade (made from #9 metal) couldn't easily cut through the Nomu's spine, she anticipated the Nomu would charge head-on into her knife.
It worked.
The Nomu's head flew off on impact.
The recoil from the hit badly injured Gin's arms, causing her to lose Quirk control from the pain.
Back to the Fight
Despite the severe injuries, Gin taunted, "Hah. One hundred percent? Is that all?"
Nomu began regenerating.
"You really can't just kill it by taking its head off, huh?"
"You are... quite the formidable enemy," said Shigaraki.
"Gin!!!" Midoriya rushed onto the scene, visibly panicked.
Aizawa was seething inside.
"Gin, that was reckless!"
Midoriya positioned himself between Gin and the regenerating Nomu.
"Move, Midoriya," Gin said quietly.
"No, Gin, you're hurt—!"
But after seeing the look in Gin's eyes, he instinctively stepped aside.
It was like a drug addict staring at their next fix—mad, obsessive joy.
Midoriya tried to grab her hand but froze, realizing both her arms were horribly injured.
"?"
She was being hugged.
"Gin." Midoriya's voice trembled, yet sounded firm. "That's enough."
Gin hesitated, then sighed and gently pulled away. She nodded, stepping back to avoid further danger.
Suddenly, Shigaraki lunged, his hand—assisted by Kurogiri's portal—covering Aizawa's face.
Aizawa's skin cracked and peeled like plaster, revealing raw flesh beneath.
Bakugou and Todoroki intervened, forcing Kurogiri to stop. Aizawa canceled Shigaraki's Quirk just in time, but his face was already severely damaged.
Thanks to Kurogiri, Shigaraki escaped Aizawa's grasp and focused directly on Midoriya.
"Die. Die. Die. Die."
Nomu moved.
Time seemed to slow for Midoriya.
Is this where I die...?
But it wasn't Midoriya who flew—it was the Nomu.
"All safe now! Why? Because I am here!"
All Might had arrived.
Midoriya wept as the weight of fear and relief hit him.
"Don't worry, Midoriya-kun," All Might said seriously—his usual smile absent, his rage barely contained.
Shigaraki stretched. "Perfect timing. I was worried this would be a bust."
"All right, Eraser Head. Evacuate the students. Leave this to me."
"Then I'll leave it to you." Skinless but unfazed, Aizawa signaled Bakugou and Todoroki to get moving.
Midoriya warned All Might, "He's strong. I used just enough power to not break my arm, but still…"
"No problem, Midoriya-kun," All Might gave a peace sign.
"You're not going anywhere." Shigaraki blocked the exit.
Bakugou bristled. "Tch, what's a weakling like you gonna do?"
He attacked, but Shigaraki's hand once again nearly disintegrated him—same as Aizawa.
Bakugou tried a massive explosion to counter, but Todoroki pushed him aside with ice just in time, saving him.
Shigaraki and Kurogiri used the distraction to teleport away.
"Let them go," Aizawa said, voice flat. "We're alive. That's what matters."
Gin slumped to the ground, recalling her metal. She was too exhausted to move.
And besides—she had front-row seats to watch All Might fight.
"Because I am the Symbol of Peace!"
"Your Quirk is only shock absorption, not shock nullification, right? Then that means… you have a limit!"
"If you can resist 100% of me… I'll go beyond 100% and flatten you!"
"A hero is someone who, no matter when or where, breaks through despair!"
"Villains—have you ever heard this phrase?"
"Push beyond your limits—Plus Ultra!!"
All Might's punch sent Nomu flying, a shining meteor across the sky.
Gin, hair tousled by the shockwave, didn't speak.
"All right, villain. Let's end this."
Shigaraki shrugged. "Ah, game over. Kurogiri, let's go home—"
But not really.
A second portal opened in front of All Might. A hand lunged out.
Midoriya dashed in, legs flapping like fabric in the wind.
"Don't touch All Might!!!"
Another hand reached for Midoriya.
Too late.
Boom!
"Your friend 'U.A. backup forces' has logged in."
Gin finally relaxed—and passed out.
Hospital Scene
Gin awoke in a hospital bed, arms in casts.
She saw Midoriya across from her—legs in casts.
"I broke my arms, you broke your legs. Guess it's fate," she joked.
Midoriya chuckled, then frowned. "I'm sorry, Gin."
"Why?"
"For not protecting you. You got hurt so badly…"
"No, this is my fault. I was reckless. Nobody's obligated to protect anyone else."
"But… heroes are supposed to protect people. So I should have protected you…"
Gin went quiet.
"If I made a mistake," she said, "it was not stopping me at the beginning."
"It's more than that. When I hugged you back then… I was a coward."
"Hugging me was brave, not cowardly," she said softly. "You snapped me out of it. So thank you. You saved me."
"I… I did?"
"Yes. That Midoriya… was my hero."
Midoriya blushed so hard the sunset couldn't hide it.
"T-That's… kinda embarrassing, Gin."
"Well, the method was… questionable."
"Eh?"
"Normally, hugging a girl out of nowhere would get you called a creep."
"Ugh…"