A blast of ice slammed near my face with force, but it didn't move me. I turned my head with some difficulty and, with a direct punch to the stomach, sent Shoto flying a few meters away from me. My flames were already wearing thin, but I only needed a few more hits to finish this once and for all. He was a good fighter, but with his injuries and the ice piling up on his arm, it was crystal clear he was a complete idiot.
—So this is how you want to lose?! Like some idiot who holds back?! —I shouted, already desperate over all this—. Quirks have limits, they're physical extensions. Your body can't handle the ice anymore. Don't you think your fire would fix that? I've been avoiding hitting your right side so you couldn't use my fire to thaw yourself out. Get it already!! We're fighting with everything we've got, to reach our dreams!! ATTACK ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT, YOU DAMN IDIOT!!
—So it's "give everything I've got," huh? Did you talk to my father? Did his ideas get into your head? —Shoto answered, more stupid than usual—. Now I'm actually mad.
He charged straight at me. He jumped with ice covering his leg and threw a descending kick that forced me to cross my arms to block. The hit was brutal, but not powerful. I countered with a straight blast of flame, forcing him to shield his face. I burned part of his shirt in the process, but he didn't stop.
He threw a straight punch to my torso, I deflected it, answered with a spinning kick. He managed to freeze my ankle, but my leg was already coming in with full force. I hit him in the hip. His body doubled over, in visible pain.
He tried to get up right away, but stumbled over his own ice. His left arm was shaking, covered in built-up frost. He was overloaded. The cold was already numbing his muscles.
He pushed off with his right leg and jumped a short distance, planting both hands on the ground. Another glacier shot up in a straight line. I split it with a burst of fire from my palm, generating an explosion of scorching steam.
We both covered our faces on instinct. The pressure became unbearable.
Shoto was panting. Coughing from the smoke. Every glacier he created came slower than the last. His shoulders sagged, his stance was no longer firm. His left arm hung somewhere between usable and collapsed. It was obvious he couldn't take much more.
—Why… why do you keep fighting? —Shoto said, already exhausted and in pain—. Why… do you want to be a hero? You who only scream because…
—SHUT UP, YOU DAMN CRYBABY!! —I shouted, already desperate—. Why do I do this? Why do I want to be a hero? Real simple… BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE MY ONI-CHAN PROUD!!
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Suddenly, a tremor shook the stadium. It was sharp, sudden, impossible to ignore. The ground shook violently and the Nomus, as if answering some savage instinct, began convulsing in unison, growling, staggering, pounding the ground like possessed beasts. Cracks started opening in the terrain, spreading out from the center of the arena as if something deep below wanted to force its way out.
The pressure in the air changed entirely. It was as if the atmosphere itself had grown denser, heavier, to the point of crushing the chest. An unknown force filled the stadium, an overwhelming presence that couldn't be explained or measured.
Every eye turned to the center of the arena… to the very spot where, seconds earlier, the bar had come down meaning to end everything. But what they saw wasn't a guaranteed death.
The evil Izuku gripped the railing tightly, his knuckles turning white, his jaw clenched. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple. He couldn't believe what he was seeing…
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My fist landed square on Shoto's face. Then another. And another. I didn't want to stop.
—Your damn face is asking me... heh. Why do I want to impress him? Easy... —I said as I hit him harder, dodging the counterattacks he threw at me—. Have you ever known someone who never gives up? Someone who, after suffering so much both physically and emotionally, keeps standing? I have!! I knew someone who, even when the world screamed at him to die, decided to keep on living!!
Shoto tried to return the blow, but I dodged it, though not without difficulty. I used the opening to push off and land a kick to his abdomen that sent him staggering back several steps.
I took a direct hit to the face in return. I felt my jaw crack and blood spilled out instantly, gushing violently from my mouth… but I didn't stop. I couldn't.
—You have a mother who, despite everything she did, drags herself trying to make up for it, who cries for you, who tells you over and over that she's proud of who you are... and you just don't listen to her! You have siblings who look out for you, who reach out a hand to you, who want the best for you even when you hate yourself! And you still ignore them, leave them behind, as if your pain were the only thing that mattered! You're an idiot!! A selfish jerk blinded by his own suffering!!
My next attack, charged with fire, engulfed him completely. Shoto managed to shield himself, but the force pushed him back, dragging his feet across the arena until he fell to his knees, exhausted, shaking, unable to get back up.
—How... how do you know that…? How are you... so sure of it?! —he asked, gaze lowered, breathing ragged, voice cracking.
I looked at him without mercy. I was badly hurt myself, but my fire was still dancing on my arms.
—Your mother told me…
Shoto froze, staring at me in shock. I was finally getting a reaction out of him.
—When did you…?
—Before your match against Sero —I answered, breathing hard—. I found them in the hallway... you left her standing there alone, not letting her speak, only saying "We'll talk after this, Mom" and "I'll make you proud, Mom." But what an idiot you are... You listen better to your father, to feel more pressure to beat him, than to your mother, who just wanted to support you and see you become strong for who you are. Understand that, damn it!! Why are you holding yourself back over something so stupid?!
Shoto's face froze completely at my words. The shock was plain to see.
—You... how...? —Shoto fell into thought for a moment. Still questioning, though he still hadn't fully grasped it—. I'm going to make my dad...
Oh, for the love of god!
—IT'S YOUR DAMN POWER, FOR GOD'S SAKE!! YOU DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH IT!!
The scream shook the stadium. The tension in the air grew dense. Shoto fell silent. Processing every word, his face hardened by rage, doubt, and conflict. And then, finally, I saw it.
Small flames began flickering to life on his right side.
A smile spread across my face.
—BANG!!
An explosion of fire burst from his body, shaking the arena. Flames wrapped around him and the heat spread with a new, uncontrollable force. When the smoke cleared, Shoto was standing. His body radiated both ice and fire, each half burning with opposite intensity, and on his face was a smile he couldn't hide.
—You, who could've beaten me… decided to light your opponent's flames instead —he said, his smile widening even further—. I want to be a hero too!
I said nothing. I only answered with a defiant smile, as my hand wrapped in fire and took the shape of a blazing gauntlet.
This fight, finally, was getting interesting.
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The explosion shook the entire stadium. The Nomus went flying in every direction, as if an invisible force had swept them off the map. Some crashed into walls, others were buried under rubble. A few survived the impact, but could barely move. The rest… were just broken, smoking masses. But what mattered was at the center of that new chaos.
Izuku was still standing… and smiling.
His hoodie hung in tatters, barely a shadow of what it had been. His torso was completely exposed, revealing muscle defined to an extreme, hardened by training and battle. He was covered in stains of black blood, remnants of the Nomus he'd torn apart. Across his chest, running from his left shoulder to his right side, a wide, deep scar stood out — old, long since healed. A mark he'd always kept hidden, but that now made no sense to hide. Not now. Not in front of this enemy.
His pants were torn in several places, exposing scrapes and burns. He was completely barefoot, his feet planted firmly on the broken ground, covered in cracks, dust, and smoking debris. The steel bar that was supposed to have run him through now lay harmlessly at his side.
—I fooled you, didn't I? —he said, lifting his gaze straight toward his evil counterpart—. Next time, make sure you calculate correctly how much percentage of the quirk your enemy is actually using. You'll find—
A surge of energy ran through Izuku's body. The air grew dense and charged, vibrating with every passing second.
A surge of energy ran through Izuku's body. The air grew dense and charged, vibrating with every passing second.
From his back and shoulders, the black whips emerged violently. They weren't just extensions of power: they moved like living weapons, spinning around him with lethal precision. One after another, they attached to his arms, shoulders, and back, forming a kind of dark armor that trembled with contained force. His arms, now wrapped in those whips, were pure offense.
At that moment, red lines began to glow across his skin, crossing his body like markings of pure energy. From his neck down to his legs, they lit up like pathways of power. They ran across his torso, face, and arms, pulsing in time with his breathing.
Effortlessly, Izuku began to rise above the wrecked ground. He floated steadily amid the chaos. The energy around him intensified. The cracked floor trembled beneath him. Every crack was a sign of the power unleashed.
His eyes, blazing an intense green, locked onto his enemy with unbreakable resolve. But the worst part was what he said next.
—Full Cowl… at 50%.
The other Izuku's eyes went wide. He quickly checked the data on the tablet that had materialized in front of him, and what he saw made him take a step back. He couldn't believe what he was looking at.
—50%?! 50%?! You lying piece of—!! You're pulling 250% of One For All! That's the equivalent of two Izukus at max output, using Fa Jin and gear-shift at the same time! YOU'RE OVER 120% ABOVE REAL LIMITS! THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!
—Who said I'm using Toshinori's power values? —Izuku replied lightly, still hovering in the air—. So then... let's see how hard you push me to bring out 100%.
He vanished in a blink.
The Nomu that, minutes earlier, had tried to run him through with a bar disappeared and reappeared... or rather, only its head did. It fell lifeless from Izuku's palm, spinning once in the air before smashing into the ground without life, without reaction, without weight. The rest of its body had simply ceased to exist.
At that exact moment, Izuku snapped his fingers. Generating a disturbance in his surroundings, then waiting to see the result.
Everything was over.
The Nomus burst apart all at once, as if some absolute, final order had condemned them in silence. They didn't even have time to let out one last roar. Their bodies collapsed from within, blowing apart into dark, smoking puddles. Each one was reduced to unrecognizable remains. The explosions weren't spectacular, but their synchronization was terrifying. There was no spectacle. Only extermination.
The evil Izuku stood frozen. But it wasn't calm... it was pure tension. His jaw clenched hard before he smashed the railing with one blow, leaving nothing but twisted metal and dust. For a second he looked angry, but what came next made it clear: it wasn't frustration, it was excitement. He started laughing, loud, unrestrained, like a madman who loved the chaos. That laugh hid no pain — quite the opposite, he was savoring it.
His face changed. That false composure cracked, giving way to a twisted, unhinged smile. He truly didn't want this to be the end. He wasn't going to let it go that easily.
—You surprised me, seriously —the evil Izuku murmured, shoving Toshinori aside without the slightest care, as if he no longer had any use for him—. And here I planned this space so precisely... it was supposed to be your grave. No interference from the other world, no witnesses. Just you and me. You're my target. You're my mission. Nothing personal... just business. Although... —his smile widened dangerously— finding a specimen this perfect changes things. I never thought I'd meet a "broken" Izuku like the group this bastard next to me calls it. This is getting interesting to experiment with. Especially using my babies.
He snapped his fingers, and in a blink, 17 Nomus appeared around Izuku, closing him into a circle with no chance of escape. These were different, very different from the ones he'd just killed. Not only in size, which ranged from massive bodies to more streamlined figures, but in their clothing... outfits Izuku recognized instantly, especially when one of them stepped forward to stand right in front of him, slamming its two enormous grenade-shaped gauntlets together. The massive blast it produced confirmed what he'd already suspected. He never thought he'd see his "childhood friend" like this.
—Man, I should've realized it when I had that Nomu's head in my hands... Todoroki... —Izuku said seriously, turning to look at the evil Izuku, who was already on the arena in front of him, alongside his hooded companion—. You really did manage to get your hands on Class A, using them as your Nomus. How interesting.
—There are all sorts of pointless wars across the multiverse. You'd be surprised at the market for Nomus out there, especially when you get specimens like these, with regeneration modifications, each with Class B's quirks, and to top it off... remnants of One For All that boost them even further.
With a single dry clap, the ground shook and all seventeen Nomus responded in unison. Their bodies arched, vibrated... and a shining energy, similar to the aura of One For All, began radiating from their muscles and scars. It wasn't full power. It wasn't the flame, but it was the embers... intense, unstable, furious. Sparks of different colors ran across their bodies in violent bursts, as if they were holding back a power that wasn't theirs and could explode at any moment.
—These Nomus can maintain 45% constant output without breaking down, and if the situation calls for it... they can unleash attacks at 100%. —His voice rose, almost manic—. ISN'T THAT FANTASTIC?!
Izuku watched in silence, his expression calm, though his eyes burned with restrained rage. He hovered just a few centimeters off the ground, but with a sigh he switched off his "floating" quirk and descended slowly until both feet touched the arena, standing face to face with his other self at the same height.
—Interesting... but something doesn't add up —he said with a dry smile—. I see Class 1-A is almost complete. Almost. I'm missing one... the one I was looking forward to most. The one who was supposed to fight me in the festival. Shame I already got rid of him.
—Who said you're missing anyone?
The voice came from the side. The hooded figure, until now just a silent spectator, stepped forward and raised his head. The face revealed was unmistakable, even with the maturity in his features and the shadow in his gaze.
Shoto Todoroki.
Or rather, a much darker, more lethal version of him. His suit was deep black, reinforced with flexible plates covering his torso, shoulders, and arms. A long, heavy cape rippled in the wind, and at his belt, several ice daggers were already formed, ready to be used. His expression was cold, devoid of empathy... as if compassion had been completely erased from his soul.
He looked like an assassin. And he made no effort to hide it.
—Interesting... another Shoto. And what's even better is that we're right on time —Izuku said seriously, without looking away.
—If I recall, this is the moment our fates were meant to collide.... —Shoto said coldly, stepping closer—. As it says in season 2, episode 10. Or to be more specific, volume 5, chapter 38 of the manga.
—What the hell are you even talking about, you idiot? Back at it with your dumb group's nonsense? You're all insane —the evil Izuku snapped, clearly irritated by now.
Izuku, on the other hand, stayed silent. He studied both of them carefully, then shifted his gaze to the overloaded Nomus. The ground was shaking, and deep cracks were already visible, revealing the original color of the stadium. The air itself seemed distorted. And then he understood.
This world... was already falling apart.
—You two know what your Nomus are doing, right? —he asked flatly.
—Yes —Shoto answered without hesitation.
—And you don't plan on stopping them?
—That's more than obvious.
—I thought you just wanted to finish me off...
—A little spectacle never hurts. At least for us —the evil Izuku replied with a twisted smile—. The other worlds... well, they've suffered worse.
Izuku looked at Shoto one last time. Their eyes met for an instant and, without a word, seemed to exchange a kind of understanding. They didn't need words. Izuku understood what they were after. Honestly, he already wanted them dead.
—Alright... —he said, settling into a fighting stance—. Let's see who really ends up buried in this grave.
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Shoto's flames were no longer simple extensions of his quirk; they'd reached a point of willful loss of control, an elemental violence that covered him entirely, as if the fire itself recognized his resolve and fed on it. His right side, frozen for years by denial and inner conflict, was finally freeing itself from the weight that had held it back, but not with calm or balance — it came with a brutal explosion that not only intensified his ice, but made it more aggressive, more dangerous, as if his body had become a battlefield between raging extremes that, instead of clashing, drove each other forward. It was incredibly exciting.
For a moment I caught sight of Endeavor in the stands, screaming at the top of his lungs, maybe proud of Shoto for finally unlocking his potential. His words didn't reach me, not because I couldn't hear them, but because they didn't matter. Not anymore, not right now.
The temperature spiked brutally within seconds. Behind me a flame the size of my own body rose up, a living wall of fire that seemed to pulse with every exhale of mine. The flames didn't just cover me, they pulled me in with them, as if forcing me to fuse with them. Every drop of sweat evaporated before it could fall, every breath burned, and even so I held steady, because this was the moment I'd been saving, the most devastating move I could pull off, the one attack that once managed to reach the astonishing ability of my Oni-chan, even if only for a second. From the center of the fire, a silhouette began to take shape, not just a fragment of uncontrolled energy, but a defined beast, an entity built from the pure, absolute power of my will: a massive snout emerged from within the flames, followed by monumental fangs, curved like incandescent spears, and then blazing eyes, full of fury. The whole head emerged from the powerful flames: it was a dragon, made entirely of dancing flames, with living scales that glowed like embers and a roar so deep it made the ground tremble.
This was the end.
—Final attack... Níðhöggr!!
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There were no more words. Izuku simply watched as the Nomu Bakugo began generating explosions so violent they completely destroyed everything in their wake; each detonation kicked up rubble, fire, and a dense cloud of dust that darkened the sky. At the same time, the alternate Shoto and the evil Izuku were already unleashing absurd amounts of energy. Ice burst from their feet and covered entire structures in sharp frost, while erratic bursts of power leapt between them, tearing apart everything nearby.
Izuku looked further around him. What he'd feared was starting. The space itself was beginning to crack: visible, deep fissures ran across the scene, spreading like diseased roots. And for the first time, those fractures gave glimpses of what lay beyond: the audience, the students, the heroes... even, for one brief instant, he caught sight of his sister's face. The world they were in... was breaking apart.
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Shoto didn't hesitate. Without a hint of surprise or wavering, he raised his right arm and unleashed a massive wave of ice that surged forward at incredible speed, freezing everything in its path without restraint or mercy. There was no intention of holding back. I just clenched my teeth, pushed off with everything I had, and lunged forward fist-first, wrapped in the blazing roar of the dragon I'd summoned. Níðhöggr advanced with me, its body of fire tearing through the ice effortlessly, shattering everything in its path as if the scenery were made of paper. But Shoto didn't stop. He raised his left arm now, and what came next was a brutal wave of heat, so intense it melted his own ice instantly. It was his ultimate counterattack, a white-and-red inferno advancing with inhuman violence, ready to collide with my attack without giving up a single inch. He wasn't going to hold back. Neither was I.
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Time was running out and chaos had become total. The ground shook beneath their feet, cracks spread like veins of destruction across the entire stadium, and the roar of the catastrophe closed in like an unstoppable wave. Izuku saw it all with unsettling clarity: the Nomu charging at maximum speed, its body wrapped in erratic explosions tearing through the air, accompanied by two massive walls of ice advancing like giant blades from the alternate Shoto, and reinforced by the brutal impact force of the corrupted Izuku's fist. Everything converged on a single point: him.
The stadium's light seemed more intense, its colors sharper, illuminating the disaster unfolding before him. Two columns of cement rose like makeshift walls on either side, and from both flanks came waves of scorching heat. For an instant, to his right, he even thought he saw the clear shape of a fire dragon roaring toward him. He smiled to himself. How adorable... his little sister was willing to give everything in that competition with Shoto.
It was time to counterattack.
Izuku didn't take a single step back. He stood still, his body relaxed, his gaze locked on the center of the attack closing in like a storm. He let out a brief sigh, stretched his arms out to his sides, and fixed his eyes on the fist now only centimeters from his face.
—What I do... it's for love... Ah. Stable release... 0.0001%.
… … … …
Everything turned white. The sound vanished, replaced by a sharp ringing that pierced the ears. An intense light swallowed everything, erasing shapes and chaos, until... vision returned.
The entire stadium froze in an impossible image. The crowd, jaws dropped; the teachers, paralyzed, fear etched on their faces. In the center, Izuku held back his sister's strike with one hand, barely wrapped in the last of her flames, her eyes open wide, as if she couldn't process what she was seeing. With the other hand, extended and slightly on fire after having stopped Shoto's scorching attack, who watched him as if the world itself had stopped. In front of him, the Nomu remained motionless, its fist pressing against his forehead... unable to advance a single millimeter.
Ah, right... and all of this was unfolding inside a colossal crater, so wide and deep it nearly swallowed the entire arena whole, reaching all the way to the walls protecting the stands.
The silence was absolute. But it was quickly broken by Izuku, who let out a sigh of relief.
—Wow... that was almost too close.