After hauling Mineta out of the churning water, Izuku didn't slow down for even a second. With one arm under Mineta and the other steadying Tsuyu, he bent his knees—
—and leapt.
The world blurred beneath them as he cleared the distance in a single bound, sailing over broken platforms and debris. Midair, Izuku's eyes locked onto something far away.
The Nomu.
Even from here, its presence was suffocating—an unnatural mass of muscle and malice standing like a living weapon near the center of the facility.
Izuku landed hard on the shore, boots grinding into wet concrete. He gently set Mineta and Tsuyu down, making sure they were stable before straightening up.
"See you in a bit!" he said lightly, already turning away.
Before either of them could protest—
He was gone.
Another explosive leap sent him rocketing across the flood zone, air screaming around his body. For a brief instant, time itself seemed to slow—the calm before the storm, the moment where everything held its breath.
Then—
Izuku came down.
He slammed into the ground with a stomp.
BOOOOM!
The impact was catastrophic. The earth fractured outward in jagged lines, concrete splintering as a violent tremor rippled through the zone. Water surged up in massive waves, debris skidding and tumbling as villains staggered or were thrown off their feet entirely.
At the heart of the chaos, Izuku stood upright, unmoved.
From the settling dust and drifting mist, a familiar figure stepped forward.
Shigaraki Tomura.
His posture was relaxed, almost lazy, but his eyes burned with twisted curiosity. His cracked lips curled into that unmistakable, unsettling smile.
"Well now," he drawled. "Who might you be?"
Izuku didn't even look at him.
His attention remained fixed on the Nomu, eyes narrowed, body subtly shifting into a ready stance. A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"You'll find out pretty soon," he replied calmly.
The dismissal hit harder than any insult.
Shigaraki's smile twitched—then cracked.
"Tch… you're awfully confident," he snarled. "I'll show you what true power is!"
He lunged.
In an instant, Shigaraki sprinted forward, fingers outstretched, intent clear—decay. The air screamed as he closed the distance.
Izuku turned his head slightly.
That was all.
Without even facing him fully, Izuku swung his backhand—
PA!
The slap echoed like a gunshot.
Shigaraki's body was launched sideways, spinning violently through the air before crashing into a small makeshift hill of rubble. Stone exploded outward as he skidded to a stop, coughing and disoriented.
Silence followed. Izuku didn't spare him another glance.
The Nomu let out a piercing screech, a sound so unnatural it vibrated through bone and concrete alike. Veins bulged across its grotesquely swollen body as it raised an arm—muscle layered over muscle, skin stretched to its limit—before swatting downward with overwhelming force.
The air itself buckled.
Izuku didn't flinch.
Not even for a fraction of a second.
He slid smoothly into a boxer's stance, feet planted, shoulders loose, eyes sharp. As the massive arm descended, he stepped into the danger zone and snapped a clean left jab straight into the Nomu's side—right where the liver should have been.
BAM!
The impact cracked like thunder.
Yet the Nomu didn't budge. Not an inch.
Its body absorbed the blow completely, the rippling muscle swallowing the force as if it were nothing.
Izuku's lips curved upward slightly.
'Nice,' he thought.
The Nomu retaliated instantly, throwing a straight punch with terrifying speed. The sheer mass behind it distorted the air.
Izuku crossed his arms and blocked.
BAAAM!
The collision sent him skidding backward across the ground, boots carving twin trenches through concrete and dirt as sparks flew beneath his heels. He dug in and stopped himself with a sharp exhale.
Pain? Minimal. Fear? None. Instead—Izuku laughed.
A genuine, thrilled smile spread across his face.
'So this is it…'
'Something actually worthy.'
He vanished.
The ground exploded beneath his feet as he blurred forward, speed tearing the air apart.
BAAM—!
His fist slammed directly into the Nomu's face, snapping its head sideways. Before it could react, Izuku grabbed it by the skull and thrust both legs forward, driving a brutal kick into its stomach.
The shockwave rippled outward.
He kicked off, flipping backward midair, landing cleanly before immediately sprinting forward again.
The Nomu roared and charged.
They collided in a storm of motion.
Fists swung like sledgehammers—but Izuku dodged every one. He weaved, slipped, ducked beneath massive arms with surgical precision. Then he dropped low, twisted his hips—
—and launched a devastating uppercut.
WHAAM!
The Nomu's head snapped back violently, its massive frame staggering as it took several heavy steps backward, struggling to regain balance.
Izuku stepped forward, eyes gleaming.
"Don't tell me that did it?" he muttered.
He pivoted sharply and sliced his leg upward in a brutal arc, smashing into the Nomu's hip with more power than any punch so far.
BAAAM!
The result shocked everyone watching.
The Nomu was sent flying.
Its massive body tore through the air before crashing into a nearby hill of debris—right beside Shigaraki, who was still struggling to stand.
Shigaraki's eyes widened.
'That shouldn't be possible…How did he bypass the shock absorption?!'
Before he could think further—
WOOOOSH!
A violent gust of wind slammed into him, forcing him backward.
Izuku flashed past in a blur.
He seized the Nomu by the head and kept moving, dragging it forward at insane speed before slamming it through a wall. Concrete shattered like glass as they burst out of the USJ entirely—
—and into a vast, dense grass field stretching far into the distance.
Izuku released his grip and landed lightly.
The Nomu flew forward, smashing into the ground and carving a massive scar through the grass and soil before finally coming to a stop.
Izuku rolled his shoulders once, then clenched his right fist.
'Alright… time to finish this,' he thought.
'I didn't want to risk destroying the USJ.'
Across the field, the Nomu began to rise again—slow, but relentless.
Izuku watched calmly.
'I've only used this once,' he recalled.
'At the trash beach… not on the shore—but in the water.'
His fist tightened.
The air around him seemed to grow heavier. And whatever he was about to unleash. It wouldn't be a lesson anymore. It would be an ending.
TO BE CONTINUED