All Might's presence changed everything. The air, previously filled with Shigaraki's manic laughter and the Nomu's growls, now crackled with an entirely different energy. It was the pressure of immeasurable power, a controlled rage that felt more terrifying than any villain's fury. All Might was not smiling. His face, normally a beacon of hope, was now the mask of a god's wrath, his domain invaded.
"You've had your fun playing with children and hurting their teacher," All Might said, his voice low and rumbling, a promise of retribution. "Now, it's your turn to play with me, League of Villains."
He shot forward. The word "fast" didn't even begin to describe it. He vanished from where he stood and reappeared directly in front of Shigaraki in the blink of an eye. But the Nomu, that manufactured creature, reacted with the same impossible speed, placing itself between All Might and its master. All Might's first blow—a Carolina Smash powerful enough to crack the ground—landed squarely on the Nomu's chest.
BOOM!
The shockwave from the impact hit us even from the top of the cliff, making the rocks around us tremble. Momo and I instinctively braced ourselves to keep from falling. But the Nomu... it hadn't moved. It took the punch without taking a single step back.
"Incredible," Momo whispered beside me, her analytical eyes wide with disbelief. "That creature took a direct hit from All Might. How is that possible?"
Shigaraki laughed, a grating sound that made the skin crawl. "Nice, right, All Might? My Nomu has 'Shock Absorption.' Your sledgehammer blows are nothing more than a gentle massage to him."
All Might wasted no time. He changed tactics, moving in for a grapple, intending to suplex the Nomu and slam it into the ground. But as he lifted the creature, Kurogiri intervened. A purple warp gate opened beneath All Might and above the Nomu. All Might was forced to slam the Nomu through the portal, which meant the Nomu reappeared from above and smashed All Might into the ground with its own portal-amplified strength.
"Damn it," I muttered under my breath, watching All Might struggle to rise. "They didn't just bring muscle. They brought a deadly Quirk synergy."
"The Shock Absorption Quirk neutralizes physical attacks, and the Warp Quirk neutralizes grappling and throwing techniques," Momo added, her mind working rapidly. "They specifically designed a team to cripple All Might's fighting style. This… this is a premeditated assassination."
"So basically," I said dryly, trying to fight back the fear that was beginning to choke me with a bit of dark humor, "they created an ugly, teleporting giant sponge. Great."
Momo let out a choked sound that might have been a laugh if the situation weren't so dire. "That… is a surprisingly accurate, if crude, analogy, Tatsumi-san." The brief interaction eased our tension slightly, a moment of sanity in the midst of madness.
The fight that followed was something no television screen could ever capture. It was a dance of giants, a hurricane of blows so fast they were just a blur of colors. All Might would land a hundred punches in a few seconds, each one capable of leveling a building. And the Nomu would take every single one, retaliating with its own brutal strength that shattered the ground around them. The central plaza turned into a crater, debris flying like leaves in a storm.
Though the fight seemed even, I, with my knowledge from another world, could see something no one else could. I saw the faint, almost invisible steam beginning to rise from All Might's body. I saw, for a split second, a grimace of pain flash across his smiling face as he took a blow to his side—the side with his injury. He was on a time limit. Every second that passed, every punch he threw, brought him closer to his limit. I was watching my childhood hero slowly die before my eyes, and there was nothing I could do but watch.
"He's… he's starting to slow down," Momo whispered, her genius allowing her to perceive even the most subtle patterns.
She was right. All Might was still incredibly powerful, but the Nomu was tireless. The creature felt no pain. It just kept coming. The Nomu managed to catch All Might in its iron grip, its thick fingers digging into All Might's old wound. The Symbol of Peace roared in pain, and for the first time, his smile faltered.
"Game over, All Might," Shigaraki sneered.
But just then, a massive explosion slammed into Kurogiri, sending him flying. Bakugo had arrived, his hands smoking. "Don't you touch All Might, you damn mist bastard!" he growled. A moment later, a giant wall of ice erupted, freezing half of the Nomu's body and freeing All Might from its grasp. Todoroki stepped out from the shadows, cold steam billowing from his right side. Behind them, Kirishima stood ready, his hands hardened.
"Your classmates..." Momo whispered, full of awe.
Reinforcements had arrived. But they were reinforcements of children. I saw Bakugo charge in thoughtlessly, only to be easily swatted aside by the Nomu. I saw Kirishima try to attack and get knocked back. Even Todoroki, with his incredible power, could only slow the creature down.
"Should we go down?" Momo asked, her body tense, ready to start creating something.
I put a hand on her arm. "No," I said firmly. "Look at them. Bakugo and Todoroki are the strongest among us, and even they are just acting as a distraction. If we go down there now, in our condition, we'll just be a liability. We'll be another hostage for All Might to protect." My cold logic felt cruel, but it was the truth. "Our job now is to stay alive and trust in him."
All Might, inspired by the arrival of his students, seemed to find a new well of strength. He knew he had to end this now. He knew he had to go beyond his limit. "Thank you, young ones," he said to them. "Now, watch a pro at work."
He charged the Nomu again, but this time, his assault was different. It wasn't just punches. It was a storm. "You said his Quirk was Shock Absorption, not shock nullification!" All Might yelled. "That means there's a limit! So I just have to hit you harder than you can absorb!"
Punch after punch landed, more than a hundred, two hundred, three hundred. Each blow was stronger than the last. The entire USJ dome trembled as if it would collapse. The ground beneath them disintegrated into dust. The Nomu was thrown backward, unable to keep up with the escalating barrage.
"A true hero," All Might roared, pulling his fist back for one final blow, his muscles bulging to their absolute limit, "will always find a way to overcome adversity! Go out there and scream to the world…!"
He slammed his fist forward with everything he had.
"PLUS ULTRA!"
The punch didn't just hit the Nomu. It tore the very air apart. A deafening sonic boom erupted from the point of impact, and a cataclysmic wave of wind shot upwards, punching a hole in the ceiling of the USJ. The Nomu, the seemingly invincible creature, was launched like a rocket, soaring through the roof and disappearing into the sky as a tiny, twinkling star.
A total silence fell over the place. Everyone—heroes, villains, and students—could only stare, mouths agape. In the center of the newly formed crater, All Might stood, one knee on the ground, steam pouring from his body like an overheated locomotive. He had won.
Shigaraki trembled with rage, scratching his neck frantically. "No way! He's cheating! He used a cheat code!" he shrieked like a child who had lost a video game. He and Kurogiri prepared to lunge at the exhausted students.
BANG! BANG!
Precision gunshots hit Shigaraki's arms and legs, making him scream in pain. At the ruined entrance, the teachers of U.A. had arrived, led by Snipe and Principal Nezu. The fight was over.
Kurogiri quickly enveloped the injured Shigaraki in his mist. "We must retreat, Tomura Shigaraki," he said.
"I'll be back for you, All Might!" Shigaraki screamed as they vanished. "Next time, I will kill you!"
With the final threat gone, All Might forced himself to stand tall. He laughed, his signature booming laugh, though it sounded slightly strained. "It's all over! Why? Because I AM HERE!"
I watched him from above, and my heart sank. It was a bluff. A brave lie. The steam pouring from his body was getting thicker. He was trembling, barely able to maintain his muscle form. He was a cracked pillar, refusing to crumble for the sake of keeping everyone's hope alive. My respect for him, already immense, became infinite.
As the immediate danger passed, the last vestiges of strength in my body vanished. I slumped to the ground, leaning against the rock behind me, each breath an effort. I turned to Momo. She was staring at the scene below with wide, awestruck eyes. Relief washed over her, but underneath it, there was something new. A grim understanding of the world we lived in. The battle may have been won, but the war had just begun. And we had just witnessed the terrifying opening shot. The world would never feel as safe again.