The Nomu moved.
It was an explosion of pure speed that caused the air around it to erupt with an audible sonic boom. The concrete floor beneath its feet disintegrated into an instant crater.
"MOVE!" Aizawa shouted while his bandages were already in the air.
The monster covered fifteen meters in less than a second; its massive fist was aimed directly at the group. Ren felt his heart stop for a fraction of a second. The speed was absurd. His telekinetic senses could barely follow the trajectory of the movement.
Aizawa intercepted the Nomu just before it reached the group. His bandages wrapped around the creature's extended arm, redirecting the blow to the side.
BOOM.
The Nomu's fist impacted the ground where the group had been standing just a moment before. Debris flew in every direction. The resulting crater was nearly three meters in diameter and so deep that a person could have hidden inside.
"Damn it!" Mina screamed from behind Ren. "What kind of strength is that?!"
If that hit had reached us... Ren thought with horror.
Aizawa pulled on his bandages, trying to immobilize the Nomu's arm. The creature simply twisted its limb with brutal force, tearing the cloth from Aizawa's hands as if they were paper threads. The professor was dragged forward several meters before he could release his grip.
"Eraserhead," Nemuri appeared at the Nomu's left side, her whip already in motion. "Do not fight that thing alone!"
CRACK.
The whip struck the back of the Nomu's head. The creature turned its neck nearly one hundred eighty degrees with a bone chilling movement. Its pupilless eyes fixed on Nemuri. Then, it moved again.
This time it went for her. Its speed was even greater than before, as if it had been playing during its first attack. Aizawa launched his bandages once more to catch the Nomu's legs and slow it down. The ribbons wrapped around the creature's ankles, but the Nomu simply continued running as if nothing were tying it down.
"Shit," Aizawa cursed through gritted teeth.
The Nomu reached Nemuri in less than two seconds. Its fist was already in motion, heading toward her face with enough force to pierce steel. Nemuri crossed her arms in front of her in a defensive guard at the last possible second.
WHAM.
Nemuri was thrown backward. Her body flew through the air, spinning out of control. She had managed to block the strike; her years of training allowed her to absorb part of the impact by distributing it through her body. But even blocked, the force was monstrous.
Ren used his telekinesis to catch Nemuri in midair. He slowed her down gradually instead of letting her crash against the ground at terminal velocity. She landed on her knees, gasping heavily. Her arms were visibly shaking.
"That power..." Nemuri coughed, her voice tight with pain. "It is a completely different level. If I had taken that hit directly, my head would have exploded."
The Nomu was already turning back toward Aizawa, who had used the distraction to position himself better. But it was evident the professor was at a disadvantage. His Quirk, Erasure, did not work on permanent physical enhancements. And the Nomu's strength seemed inherent to its modified body.
We need to change the battlefield, Ren thought quickly as his mind worked at full speed. The Nomu is too fast in open terrain. We have to slow it down.
"Mina!" Ren shouted suddenly. "Spread your acid all over the floor! Make the terrain unstable!"
Mina blinked in surprise for a moment until a smile of understanding lit up her face.
"Got it!"
Her hands glowed with her characteristic pink hue. Acid began to drip from her palms in large quantities. She spread it over the concrete floor in wide arcs, covering the area between the Nomu and the group. The concrete began to sizzle where the acid touched it, becoming viscous and treacherous.
"Aizawa sensei! Midnight sensei! Fall back!" Ren ordered with an authoritative voice.
Both pro heroes reacted instantly, leaping backward to leave the area. The Nomu tried to follow them, but its feet sank slightly into the softened concrete.
It is not enough, Ren analyzed. It was still too fast for Thirteen to use her Black Hole effectively. He needed a clear opening and for the Nomu to be immobile for at least three full seconds.
His eyes moved quickly, evaluating the available resources. Ochako. Her zero gravity Quirk. If they could make the Nomu lose its balance...
"Thirteen sensei!" Ren shouted toward where the space hero was watching the battle. "I am going to create an opening for you! Get ready to use your Black Hole when I give the signal!"
"What are you going to do?" Thirteen asked with urgency.
"Trust me!"
Ren turned toward Ochako, who was standing a few meters away. Her expression showed fear, and her hands trembled as she watched the Nomu destroy another piece of ground. Without warning, Ren approached quickly and grabbed her by the waist with both arms, hugging her firmly from behind.
"EH?!" Ochako shrieked, her face turning instantly bright red. "R-Ren kun! W-What are you...?!"
"Use your Quirk on both of us!" Ren ordered urgently, ignoring his partner's embarrassment. "Make me float along with you! Now!"
"B-But...!" Ochako stammered, processing the situation of being held so intimately.
"OCHAKO! There is no time!" Ren roared in her ear.
That seemed to snap her out of her stupor. Her hands moved clumsily, pressing her fingers against Ren's arm. Then, she touched her own leg with her other hand.
"Release!"
The sensation of zero gravity was instantaneous. Ren's feet left the ground. He kept his firm grip around her waist, keeping her pressed against his chest.
"Tsuyu!" Ren shouted immediately. "Hold me with your tongue and launch us toward the Nomu! Aim for its back!"
"Ribbit!" Tsuyu did not hesitate for a second. Her tongue shot out like a whip, wrapping around Ren's torso. "Hold on tight!"
WHOOSH.
Tsuyu launched Ren and Ochako through the air with a powerful movement. The two students flew across the central plaza, heading directly toward where the Nomu was trying to reach Aizawa. The wind whistled in Ren's ears. His telekinesis activated instinctively, adjusting their trajectory. Ochako had closed her eyes tight, clinging to Ren's arms.
"Keep your eyes open!" Ren shouted to her. "You are going to need to touch the Nomu in three seconds!"
Ochako opened her eyes with visible effort. Her face was still red, but now there was determination in her gaze. The Nomu had launched another blow toward Aizawa; the professor dodged it by inches, so close that the monster's fist cut several strands of his hair.
Ren and Ochako descended from above, landing directly on the creature's broad back. Ren released Ochako and pushed her slightly forward.
"Now! Touch it!"
Ochako's hands slammed against the Nomu's black skin. Her five fingers pressed firmly against the muscles of its back.
"Release!"
The Nomu, which easily weighed over two hundred kilograms, suddenly weighed nothing. Its feet lost traction. Its center of gravity was completely destabilized. The creature made a guttural sound of confusion as its arms flailed clumsily. It began to float, becoming uncoordinated and erratic.
Ochako immediately felt nauseous. Using her Quirk on something so massive hit her hard.
"I am going to... throw up..." she groaned weakly.
Ren, without a second thought, sent a small mental stimulus toward her. It was just a slight suppression of the nausea signals in her brain, enough so she could function for a few more seconds. Ochako blinked, surprised that the discomfort diminished to a manageable level.
"Resist just a little longer," Ren told her in a low voice. "Almost there..."
CRACK.
The Nomu launched a punch upward, trying to hit the students on its back.
"TSUYU!" Ren shouted. "PULL US BACK NOW!"
Tsuyu's tongue tensed instantly. She pulled with all the strength of her Quirk, dragging Ren and Ochako off the Nomu's back just as the shockwave from the strike exploded.
BOOOOM.
The pressure destroyed the air where they had been. Ren and Ochako flew through the air, landing clumsily near Tsuyu. Ren still held Ochako, having protected her head with his own body during the fall.
"Are you okay?" Tsuyu asked urgently. "Ribbit! That was very close!"
"We are... alive," Ren gasped, his heart beating wildly. "Ochako, are you hurt?"
"N-No," she stammered. Her face was red again, this time from the adrenaline. "I am fine. Thank you for protecting me."
The Nomu was still floating. This was the opening they needed.
"THIRTEEN SENSEI!" Ren roared. "NOW! USE YOUR BLACK HOLE!"
Thirteen reacted instantly. Her right hand rose, pointing directly at the Nomu. The hatches on her fingertips began to open. But then, Kurogiri moved. His mist form exploded forward to intercept the attack. A portal began to materialize to redirect the vacuum.
"This is... an unacceptable setback," Kurogiri hissed. "I will not allow you to interfere!"
Something grabbed him from behind. Two invisible arms wrapped around his center section, specifically where the metal container was hidden.
"Did you forget about me already?" Hagakure's cheerful voice whispered. "I am not going to let you interfere."
Hagakure tightened her grip with all her strength. The metal container was immobilized and, without being able to move his physical core, Kurogiri could not open portals with precision.
"Release me immediately!" he struggled uselessly. "I should have assumed such an imperceptible presence would turn out to be a nuisance."
But it was already too late.
"BLACK HOLE!" Thirteen shouted.
A massive suction vortex exploded from her hands. The air distorted violently. Small debris was torn from the ground and turned to dust upon contact. Thirteen hesitated for a fraction of a second, wondering if it was right to use a lethal Quirk against that thing, but the decision was already made.
Then everything became chaotic.
A purple portal opened beside Thirteen. Kurogiri had managed to open one more before being completely immobilized. Shigaraki Tomura emerged from the portal, moving faster than Ren expected. His hand shot toward Thirteen, ready to activate his Decay.
"THIRTEEN!" Nemuri screamed in horror.
But Aizawa moved. His eyes lit up bright red and Shigaraki's Quirk vanished. His fingers, now harmless, reached Thirteen, but only managed to push her arm to the side. The Black Hole vortex was violently diverted at a forty five degree angle.
However, the edge of the vortex reached the Nomu.
The power of the vacuum grazed the left side of the creature. The black skin began to disintegrate, being torn away layer by layer. The left arm disappeared completely and the upper half of its torso followed, including part of the shoulder and chest.
But the diverted Black Hole continued its trajectory directly toward where Ren held Ochako. Time seemed to slow down. Ren could see the vortex approaching.
I am not old enough to die like this.
He threw himself and Ochako to the side with all his mental strength. Their bodies rolled violently over the rough ground. The vortex passed inches away. Ren felt the tug on his back, as if his skin were being stretched toward the nothingness.
CRASH.
They slammed into the concrete. The impact was brutal and expelled the air from Ren's lungs. Ochako had landed on top of him in a messy pile of limbs. Thirteen finally closed the hatches on her fingers and stumbled back, exhausted.
For a moment, there was absolute silence. Everyone looked at the Nomu. The creature was still suspended, but it was now missing a massive portion of its body. And then what Ren expected happened: the Nomu did not regenerate.
Ren had bet correctly. The Nomu was specialized in absorbing physical damage, but against something that erased matter directly, those defenses were useless. Thirteen was the perfect counter.
"Im... impossible," Shigaraki whispered, his voice trembling. "Master said it was nearly indestructible! Why isn't it healing?!"
His voice rose to a hysterical shriek. His most powerful weapon had been mutilated by a rescue hero.
"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" Shigaraki turned toward Thirteen. "YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR RUINING EVERYTHING!"
CRACK.
Nemuri's whip struck Shigaraki directly in the chest, throwing him backward. He rolled several times before stopping, coughing violently.
"I don't think so," Nemuri said. "You have caused enough damage already."
The Nomu finally freed itself from Ochako's effect and fell to the ground. Its feet touched the concrete softened by Mina's acid and it slipped, unable to find traction. At that precise moment, the main doors of the USJ exploded.
BOOOOM.
A figure appeared at the entrance, silhouetted against the light. It was a massive and muscular presence. His smile was bright, showing unshakable confidence. All Might had arrived.
The Nomu turned its pupilless head toward the entrance. All Might took a step forward and his smile widened.
"I heard my students were in trouble," his voice boomed throughout the dome. "I got here as fast as I could."
His blue eyes scanned the scene quickly.
"DO NOT WORRY ANYMORE!" he proclaimed, raising a fist. "EVERYTHING IS FINE, BECAUSE I AM HERE!"
*******
Author's Note:
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Power Stone Challenge!
Unfortunately, we were just shy of our goal last week, but don't worry! I'm back with a new, more achievable challenge.
The Goal: If we hit 800 Power Stones this week, I will immediately release 3 bonus chapters this Sunday to kick off the new week!
Reminder: Our regular schedule is every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Want to read ahead? You can find advanced chapters at: patreon.com/shurazero
Thank you all for the incredible support. Let's hit that goal!