The moment the multinational strike force crossed into Kurogane Atoll's outer airspace, the illusion of silence vanished completely.
Warning sirens erupted beneath the ocean like the cries of some mechanical beast awakening from hibernation. Massive sections of the island's cliffsides split apart as hidden artillery platforms emerged from underground hangars. Rotating missile batteries locked onto the incoming aircraft almost instantly, red targeting systems illuminating the storm-filled sky.
Then the missiles launched.
Hundreds of them.
Trails of fire tore across the clouds in every direction while transport crafts scattered violently to avoid immediate destruction.
"Defensive spread formation!" Endeavor roared through battlefield comms.
Explosions consumed the sky only seconds later.
One aircraft disappeared inside a fireball before emergency barriers activated around the remaining fleet. Shockwaves rolled across the ocean hard enough to disturb the sea itself.
Bakugo blasted forward ahead of everyone else, his explosions tearing through incoming missiles with brutal force.
"MOVE FASTER!" he shouted.
Shoto rose beside him through a pillar of ice, freezing an entire wave of projectiles before detonating them with concentrated heat. Steam erupted across the battlefield while Star and Stripe calmly raised one hand toward the sky.
"The atmosphere surrounding allied aircraft will reject hostile explosives."
Reality bent around her command.
Several missiles instantly lost stability before veering harmlessly into the ocean.
Despite the coordinated defense, Izuku's unease only deepened.
Garaki was too intelligent to rely on ordinary weapons.
This was only the welcome.
Below them, the dark island waited silently beneath layers of storm clouds. Black cliffs rose from the ocean like sharpened blades while strange pulses of electromagnetic distortion spread through the atmosphere at uneven intervals.
Then the island itself began to move.
A massive section of the cliffside split apart with a deafening metallic groan. Steel gates larger than skyscrapers slowly opened outward, revealing an enormous chamber hidden within the mountain.
And someone walked out.
At first glance, he looked human.
Young.
White hair.
Tall, lean frame.
But the longer the heroes stared at him, the more unnatural he became. Black markings crawled across his skin like cracks spreading through broken porcelain, pulsing faintly with dark energy beneath the surface.
Most disturbing was his expression.
He was smiling.
Not confidently.
Not arrogantly.
Curiously.
Like a scientist observing insects.
"So these are the world's future heroes," he said softly.
Despite speaking normally, his voice echoed unnaturally across the battlefield.
Several younger heroes stiffened immediately.
The pressure radiating from him was overwhelming.
Tokoyami felt Dark Shadow recoil instinctively.
Even Bakugo's expression hardened.
"One of the Ten," he muttered.
The man placed one hand against his chest before bowing politely.
"Number Ten," he introduced himself. "Though Master Garaki once called me Raizen."
His eyes slowly moved across the U.A. students.
"So much potential."
The next moment, he vanished.
The air exploded.
Kirishima barely managed to harden before a monstrous impact slammed into his body and launched him through layers of steel debris. The shockwave alone shattered nearby concrete while several students nearly lost their footing from the force.
Jiro screamed as violent pressure ruptured the air around her ears.
Yaoyorozu immediately created layered defensive barriers.
Raizen shattered through all of them effortlessly.
"FORMATION B!" Iida shouted.
The students moved instantly.
Not because they were calm.
Not because they were fearless.
But because Izuku had trained them for moments exactly like this.
Tokoyami attacked first.
"Dark Shadow!"
The massive construct surged forward violently, expanding into Ragnarok form as darkness spread across the battlefield. Dark Shadow descended toward Raizen like a living monster, powerful enough to destroy entire city blocks.
Raizen caught it with one hand.
The impact cracked the surrounding terrain.
Tokoyami's eyes widened.
Raizen slowly looked upward toward Dark Shadow's distorted face.
"Impressive," he admitted quietly.
Then he crushed the construct apart.
Dark Shadow screamed as fractures spread through its form before exploding backward into Tokoyami himself. Blood spilled from Tokoyami's mouth as he crashed into the ground.
"TOKOYAMI!"
Mina immediately attacked while Kaminari supported her from range.
Acid projectiles rained toward Raizen from multiple angles while high-voltage electricity detonated across the battlefield simultaneously. The coordinated attack forced Raizen backward for the first time.
"Oh?"
Sero reacted instantly.
Tape wrapped around Raizen's arms before Uraraka touched the collapsing debris around him.
"Bakugo!"
Bakugo grinned viciously.
The floating debris exploded all at once.
A massive chain detonation swallowed the battlefield.
Fire illuminated the island.
Smoke spread outward across shattered steel and broken stone while several students stared breathlessly toward the impact zone.
For one brief second, hope appeared.
Then Raizen walked out slowly through the smoke.
Unharmed.
The students froze.
"How…" Yaoyorozu whispered.
Raizen tilted his head slightly.
"You children really believed teamwork could bridge this difference in power?"
His body shifted suddenly.
Izuku recognized it immediately from above.
Adaptation.
Raizen's movements were changing mid-combat.
Every attack the students used became less effective after only one exchange. His reactions sharpened unnaturally while his body adjusted itself in real time.
Garaki had created a combat organism capable of evolving during battle.
Kirishima roared before charging again despite his injuries.
His hardened fist slammed directly into Raizen's face.
The impact barely moved him.
Raizen answered with a single punch.
Kirishima's body folded violently before being launched across the battlefield hard enough to crater reinforced steel.
"Mina…" Kirishima coughed weakly.
Mina's expression twisted in panic.
Raizen appeared before her instantly.
Too fast.
Far too fast.
Then black flames erupted between them.
Shoto arrived.
Ice exploded across the battlefield while flames surged upward simultaneously, forcing Raizen backward beneath a violent storm of steam and freezing wind.
The students regrouped quickly.
Everyone was injured.
Everyone understood the difference between them and this monster.
But nobody retreated.
Not a single person.
"We keep attacking together," Iida said through heavy breathing. "Don't let him isolate anyone."
Raizen observed them silently for a moment.
Then he smiled wider.
"Interesting."
The battle intensified immediately afterward.
Tsuyu restrained his movement with her tongue while Sero redirected his attacks. Jiro disrupted his balance with concentrated soundwaves while Yaoyorozu continuously supplied equipment and support weapons across the battlefield.
The students fought like an actual combat unit.
Every weakness covered.
Every opening utilized.
Exactly the kind of teamwork Izuku spent years forcing them to develop.
And slowly—
they began pushing Raizen backward.
Not through overwhelming power.
Through trust.
Raizen realized it too.
For the first time since appearing, genuine surprise crossed his face.
"You're still standing," he murmured.
Iida accelerated beyond visible speed.
Tokoyami restrained Raizen's left arm.
Kirishima grabbed the right despite his injuries.
Toru appeared silently behind him.
Invisible light distorted around her body before compressing into a sharpened spear.
Then she struck.
The blade of concentrated refracted light pierced directly through Raizen's chest.
Blood scattered across the battlefield.
Everyone froze.
Even Raizen looked downward slowly toward the wound.
Then he smiled.
"Dangerous."
The injury regenerated instantly.
Toru's eyes widened.
Raizen grabbed her throat before she could retreat.
The pressure around him exploded violently.
"You may have become troublesome eventually."
Bakugo moved instantly.
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!"
His explosion collided with Raizen hard enough to split the battlefield apart.
Shockwaves rolled across the island while both crashed through layers of reinforced bunkers. Bakugo attacked relentlessly afterward, explosions detonating fast enough to resemble continuous artillery fire.
Raizen blocked every strike calmly.
"Your anger controls you too easily."
Then he drove his fist directly into Bakugo's stomach.
Blood erupted from Bakugo's mouth.
Shoto arrived immediately afterward, unleashing ice and fire simultaneously in a catastrophic explosion that illuminated the entire battlefield.
The students attacked together again.
Again.
Again.
Again.
And despite everything—
they remained standing.
Raizen stared at them quietly through smoke and fire.
"You really are heroes," he admitted softly.
Then his body began changing.
Bones cracked outward unnaturally.
Black energy erupted from his spine.
The pressure became monstrous.
Several students nearly collapsed instantly beneath it.
Raizen's smile widened into something inhuman.
"Which is why," he whispered, "I'll enjoy killing you."
Green lightning exploded across the battlefield.
Everyone turned immediately.
Izuku landed between the students and Raizen with enough force to fracture the ground beneath him. One For All surged violently around his body while black lightning illuminated the storm-filled sky.
His eyes were cold.
Colder than any of the students had ever seen before.
But when he looked back toward them—
his expression softened slightly.
"You all did well," he said quietly.
Bakugo wiped blood from his mouth.
"Took you long enough."
Izuku almost smiled.
Almost.
Then he turned back toward Raizen.
The pressure around One For All intensified instantly.
Raizen grinned.
"Finally."
Izuku stepped forward slowly.
"Go deeper into the island," he told the students without looking away from the enemy.
"Leave him to me."
And for the first time since arriving at Kurogane Atoll—
Izuku Midoriya released his full killing intent.