Every hero present stared at Shigaraki after the Sun Warrior's death, shock and unease spreading among them. Especially the foreign heroes, who had come thinking it was just a gesture, were unable to reconcile what had just happened.
One of them spoke. "How could this be? This was not supposed to happen!! And why are there so many monsters in Japan?"
No one answered him.
Because no one had an answer.
Nezu spoke next. "The civilians are still around. Keeping them safe is the priority."
That was enough to break the heroes out of their shock.
The heroes moved all at once. Some turned immediately toward evacuation, rushing to secure civilians and non-combatants. All Might, Nezu, and the government officials were quickly surrounded and guided away from the center of the chaos. Others stepped forward, their focus locked onto the League of Villains.
The heroes split into two groups.
Protection and confrontation.
Deku rushed forward, electricity crackling across his body as Full Cowling surged to eighty percent. The ground beneath his feet cracked as he launched himself straight toward Shigaraki. Behind him, Bakugo propelled himself forward with explosions, while Todoroki advanced at his side.
Above them, Nejire took to the sky, spiraling upward, while Mirio vanished into the ground. Around the edges, the students of U.A. spread out, forming a loose perimeter to contain the villains.
Shigaraki watched Deku approach and smiled manically.
Then he moved.
He charged forward just as fast, his arm extending toward Deku's head, fingers spread wide. But at the last moment before his hand landed on Deku, Deku's speed increased. He ducked beneath Shigaraki's hand and slipped past it. His fists blurred, striking Shigaraki's chest and stomach in rapid succession.
One hit. Then another. Then another.
Each punch landed with the greatest force he could muster, driving Shigaraki backward across the broken ground.
But something was wrong.
Shigaraki was still smiling.
"You got better at using this quirk," he said, his voice laced with amusement. "Too bad I'll be taking it."
Deku's eyes narrowed. He could tell, his blows weren't doing real damage.
Before he could adjust, Shigaraki moved again.
Faster than before.
His leg snapped upward in a brutal kick aimed at Deku. Deku twisted his body and narrowly avoided the strike. But the strike was much stronger than Deku had imagined, the air compressed and exploded upward, a pressurized blast shooting into the sky from the sheer power of the motion.
Deku's eyes widened.
Shigaraki chuckled. "You're fast at running."
Deku's expression darkened.
Not far from them, a violent explosion erupted as Bakugo engaged Spinner, the blast engulfing the villain completely.
Flames and smoke swallowed the area for a moment, and the moment they parted. Spinner stepped out.
His body had expanded, muscles bulging grotesquely as he grew to nearly five meters in height. The cloak that once hid him was gone, revealing gray skin stretched over a monstrous frame. Across his chest, a black patch pulsed visibly beneath the surface, as if something alive was beating inside him.
Bakugo paused for a fraction of a second, taken aback by the sight. Then Spinner moved, his massive fist swinging forward with crushing force. Bakugo reacted instantly, blasting himself into the air with an explosion, twisting mid-flight to counterattack with another blast.
It hit Spinner right in the face, but he didn't even flinch.
He pushed through it as if it were nothing.
At the same time, Dabi's body ignited.
Flames consumed him completely, blue and purple fire roaring from head to toe. And yet, even through the inferno, a dark pulsing mass could be seen at the center of his chest, beating slowly beneath the flames.
He let out a roar that didn't sound entirely human.
Columns of fire shot upward. The next moment, the sky began to rain destruction, tens of blue and purple fireballs falling in every direction like a storm of burning meteors.
Todoroki reacted immediately, ice surging upward in massive waves to intercept the falling flames. Other heroes joined in, wind-based quirks pushing the fire aside, barriers forming midair to deflect the incoming barrage. Some of the fireballs detonated before reaching the ground.
Others didn't.
Explosions ripped through the streets as flames struck, forcing heroes and civilians alike to scatter.
Chaos spread again.
Deku caught glimpses of it all even as he fought Shigaraki.
Deku asked "What did you do to yourselves?"
Shigaraki's smile remained there.
"Simple," he said. "We obtained the power we need."
With a casual motion, he tore off his cloak.
His body revealed the same strange black mass at the center of his chest pulsing visibly.
"We went beyond everything to gain this power," he continued. "And soon… I'll have yours."
He slammed his foot into the ground.
The earth beneath Deku shifted violently, swallowing his footing as his legs sank into the cracked surface. For a split second, his movement stalled.
That was all Shigaraki needed.
His hand shot forward again, closing in on Deku's face.
Then Mirio appeared.
He came out of the ground right between them, his fist already in a punching motion. He struck Shigaraki's arm, knocking it off course just enough for Deku to wrench himself free and leap back.
Shigaraki's eyes flicked to Mirio immediately and attacked.
Mirio didn't pause for a moment. His body phased, Shigaraki's counterattack passing straight through him as he dived back into the ground.
"Annoying pest," Shigaraki muttered.
Mirio resurfaced beside Deku a moment later. "You okay?"
Deku nodded, breathing steady but tense. "Yeah. Thanks, Lemillion."
Mirio's expression hardened as he looked ahead. "Be careful. They're too dangerous."
Deku followed his gaze.
And his face darkened.
Behind the villain trio, new figures had begun to emerge out of thin air. Dozens of them, all wearing the same clothes, spilling into the area like a human tide. They moved quickly, heading toward both civilians and heroes alike.
The battlefield spiraled further out of control. Twice's Sad Man's Parade had fully begun, copies flooding the streets in endless waves, multiplying faster than the heroes could suppress them. What had already been a losing situation turned into something far worse, as the heroes were forced to divide their attention between the three monsters before them and an army that did not stop growing. Dabi alone was enough to anchor the fight in the villains' favor, his flames striking everywhere, forcing most of the heroes into defense as they struggled to protect civilians and create escape routes.
Spinner, meanwhile, advanced further like an unstoppable juggernaut. Bakugo attacked him relentlessly, explosions hammering into his body from different angles, but Spinner simply endured them, pushing forward without slowing. Other heroes stepped in to assist. Tetsutetsu, Kirishima, Shouji, Suneater, all charged at him, attacking with all their strength. None of it mattered. Spinner met them with overwhelming strength, each swing of his arm sending them flying as if they weighed nothing, his presence alone forcing the heroes back step by step.
Present Mic and Jiro moved together, combining their sound-based attacks into a concentrated assault meant to overwhelm him. But Spinner answered with a roar. One sound, far more powerful, crushing their attack instantly and throwing both of them away.
The imbalance was clear. The villains were winning, and behind them, the Sad Man's Parade had already begun chasing down fleeing civilians and scattered heroes, turning retreat into another battlefield.
From the back lines, Momo watched it all unfold, her mind racing despite the fear filling her chest. She turned to Kaminari, who was crouched beside Jiro and Present Mic, checking on them with a tense expression.
"Kaminari, I have an idea," she said, forcing steadiness into her voice. "I need your help."
He looked at her, fear obvious in his eyes, but he nodded anyway.
Dola swooped down and perched on Momo's shoulder, chirping loudly as if sensing the danger. Momo cupped the small bird gently in both hands.
"It's not safe here," she said, her voice softer for a moment. "Go."
She tossed Dola into the air toward the rear, and the bird hovered briefly, glancing between her and the battlefield before flapping away.
Momo didn't allow herself to look back again.
She pushed her quirk to its limit, material forming rapidly from her body as a massive structure began assembling in front of her. Metal components locked into place. Her breathing grew heavier as she forced the creation to completion, nearly a full minute passing before the weapon was ready.
"This is a railgun," she said, her voice tight. "Charge it with everything you have."
Kaminari immediately placed his hands on it and began charging the weapon. Momo turned the cannon forward, locking onto Spinner as her target. He was the largest target on the field with the hardest defense. If he fell, it would allow them to divert their attention to the others. She steadied her aim and waited for the railgun to be fully charged.
At that moment, Spinner revealed a new ability. He turned toward Kirishima and Bakugo, who were repositioning at his side, and raised his arm. His claws extended unnaturally before firing outward like bullets. The attack crossed the distance instantly, piercing both of them before they could react. They dropped to the ground clutching their wounds.
Momo's jaw tightened. She glanced down, the charge wasn't complete yet.
"Come on…" she muttered. "Almost…"
Spinner shifted again, his attention now turning toward Deku.
Deku was locked in combat with Shigaraki, every movement a narrow escape, Mirio phasing in and out beside him to create openings. Then Spinner raised his hand and fired again. "DEKU!! BEHIND YOU!!" Momo screamed, but Deku had already sensed it. He turned mid-motion, jumping to evade, only to find Shigaraki had already leapt.
There was no space left to react. His hand closed around Deku's face.
"Done!!" Kaminari shouted.
Momo didn't hesitate. She fired.
The railgun erupted with a deafening crack, the projectile launching at extreme speed and striking Spinner directly. A massive explosion swallowed him, shaking the battlefield and momentarily eclipsing everything in light and debris. For a brief second, it looked like it might have worked.
Momo's eyes snapped back to Deku.
And her breath stopped.
His body was crumbling into dust.
The decay spread rapidly from Shigaraki's hand, consuming him piece by piece as fragments scattered into the air.
"No…" Momo whispered, her voice breaking. "No…"
Dola's frantic chirping cut through the moment as the bird dove downward, trying to reach her.
Momo turned instinctively toward Spinner's position.
He was still there. Bleeding slightly and staring directly at her.
Terror filled her. Spinner opened his mouth and roared, unleashing a devastating sound attack. The impact struck Momo instantly, pain exploding through her head as if it were being torn apart. The force sent her flying backward along with the shattered remains of the railgun, debris scattering in all directions as she slammed into the ground.
For a moment, vision blurred and sound dulled.
She forced herself to move, struggling to sit up as blood dripped from her head onto the ground. Shapes slowly came back into focus, fallen heroes, scattered bodies, destruction everywhere. Kaminari lay beside her, shaking from pain, a piece of metal from the railgun lodged into his stomach.
Her chest tightened.
Then she saw Dola.
The bird lay still on the ground.
Momo crawled toward it, her hands trembling as she lifted it gently.
"Dola…" she whispered. The bird gave a faint, weak chirp, its body barely moving before going still completely.
Momo's tears fell freely now. "Dola…"
She didn't realize it.
That the final sound the bird made was a dying call.
And far away, deep within a forest tens of kilometers from the battlefield, a demon heard it.