The second round began. Now it was my turn to fight, and standing in front of me was Shoto, my self-proclaimed rival, carrying on his shoulders that pathetic inner conflict with his father, as if a fight could give him some reason not to follow in his footsteps. I'd learned all of that after Oni-chan dragged me out of the infirmary, forcing me to make peace with those two women who only managed to irritate me with their mere presence, and as if that weren't enough, I had to put up with Shoto's nerve, challenging me to prove he could win using only his mom's quirk... I hope that woman made it clear to him just how stupid his decision was.
Ah… honestly, there's no fixing me.
I hate myself, I admit it. When it comes to Oni-chan, all my logical, analytical reasoning disappears without warning. My judgment clouds over, my calm breaks, and all that's left is a blind fury that switches on the second I see someone who might take him from me. I love him..!! I love him more than anyone could believe, and I'm not about to let anyone take him away. No one. Not even our mother. If the moment comes where I have to kill her to protect him, I'll do it without hesitation.
Once this was over I'd go apologize to Oni-chan and see how he was doing. I'm a good girl!
His match was over fast, he didn't give his opponent a single chance. I don't know what he sensed, but it clearly wasn't anything good. Something unsettled him, and that worries me way too much.
But anyway…
In front of me is the boy with daddy issues who urgently needs a lesson. I didn't come here to listen to his family trauma or to understand his emotional wounds. I came to show him I'm not going to hold back, that I don't care what he's got going on inside him, and that this fight will be anything but merciful. I'm ready, and this time I won't hesitate. I'll make him regret underestimating me, even if just for a second.
I planted myself firmly in front of him. Shoto held that serious expression he used when he was focused. It was obvious that the moment the signal came, he'd give everything to attack me. Delusional. He really thinks he can beat me, with that naive mindset?
—It's a shame I didn't get to fight Izuku —he said in a firm voice, without taking his eyes off me—. When this is over, I hope to fight him. I really want to overcome a Great opponent.
—Begin!!
The moment the shout rang out, Shoto raised a wall of ice that launched toward me with brutal force. It was fast, precise, well-executed. But useless.
I didn't move. There was no need.
With a confident smile, I raised my arm and swung a fire-wrapped punch. The impact was direct and precise. The wall of ice shattered instantly, evaporating completely in an explosion of heat that filled the air. Shoto barely had time to cover his face with his arms so he wouldn't get thrown back by the blast. The sound of the steam filled the stadium like a sharp hiss, marking the force of the clash.
The atmosphere grew heavy with heat. The crowd fell silent for a few seconds before starting to react. Some shouted in surprise, others just watched intently. I'd made it perfectly clear I hadn't come to hold back.
Without losing my rhythm, I walked toward him with a steady stride, my gaze locked on his position. I didn't bother hiding what I was thinking.
—Do you really think you can surpass my Oni-chan? —I said with a mocking smile, getting closer with every step—. I'll only tell you one thing…
My arm ignited again and I clenched my fist. The ground creaked slightly under my feet as I bent my knees and pushed off with force. I wasn't going to give him time to think.
—Not in ten thousand years could you beat him! And to make it clear!! I'm the only one who's going to reach him!!
I lunged straight at him at full speed, with no intention of stopping. This fight wasn't going to be easy for either of us.
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The incoming blow was brutal, as big as a person, and when it struck Izuku, the ground nearby generated a shockwave so intense it pushed back several of the Nomus approaching in a direct line. The energy explosion produced a dense curtain of smoke and dust, blocking the view completely. Toshinori, from where he stood, felt his stomach tighten with worry. For a moment he thought Izuku had taken the hit head-on.
But the smoke didn't last long. An invisible pressure swept through the air, as if something were dominating the atmosphere itself, and with a controlled shockwave, waves of energy dispersed the fog instantly. In the middle of the smoking crater, Izuku stood completely upright, without a single wound, firmly holding back the Nomu's enormous fist. His expression was completely neutral, with no trace of strain. The creature trembled. Its hand, which was supposedly capable of crushing buildings, was being held back as if it were made of paper. Without changing his posture, Izuku twisted his wrist, applied minimal pressure, and the Nomu's entire forearm shattered with a sickening crack. Then, in one direct motion, he lifted it by the arm like a sack of garbage and threw it with tremendous force.
The Nomu's body flew across the field like a projectile, slamming into ten others charging at full speed. The impact was devastating. All of them were sent flying, like out-of-control projectiles, bouncing off one another until they ended up smashed into different sections of the stadium. The first one, who had been leading the charge, crashed into the back wall, and on impact the concrete gave way, leaving a dark crater, while its body deformed to the point of turning into a viscous mass. The rest met similar fates: some exploded on impact with the structures, others disintegrated on contact with the remains of the ones before them. The scene turned grotesque; chunks of flesh, bone, and dark fluids covered much of the field, painting the aftermath of the fight in violence.
Izuku slowly lowered his hand, his sharp gaze sweeping across the field while the sound of the impact still echoed off the walls.
—That quirk… "Giant Fist." It belonged to Itsuka Kendo, student in class 1-B —he said with contempt, rolling his neck to loosen his muscles—. What pathetic garbage these Nomus are. Dead and artificially controlled… Well, this gives me the chance this time to send them off to rest in peace.
One of the Nomus lunged forward with unnatural speed, almost distorting the air around it, and raised both hardened arms in a downward hammer strike. The impact was so strong it cracked the concrete beneath its feet, but Izuku was no longer there. He'd stepped forward a single pace, dodging with humiliating ease. His leg rose at a perfect angle, and his heel came down with overwhelming force onto the Nomu's skull, burying its head down to the shoulders as if it were a hollow sack. The body collapsed, twitching for a few seconds before falling still.
Behind him, another enemy charged, creating a giant wall of concrete with a quirk similar to Cementoss's. It tried to crush him from the side, but Izuku extended a black whip that coiled like a shadow serpent, wrapped around its waist, and slammed it against the ground repeatedly, leaving a hole in the floor, just like in the wall on the third impact. Then he used it as a wrecking ball to destroy others closing in. Its body stopped moving after the seventh impact.
Three more came from the flanks and the front. The first approached using a speed-based quirk combined with giant turbine energy on its feet — it was Iida's quirk — but it was stopped cold by an elbow strike straight to the jaw that broke its neck and sent it spinning out of control. The second came from the left, covered in metal plating like Tetsutetsu's hardening quirk, but Izuku grabbed it by the face with one hand, lifted it off the ground, and shoved it directly into the third one approaching from the front. The impact was so violent both of them slammed into a column. Then, without wasting time, Izuku extended multiple whips that turned into sharpened stakes and impaled both of them, along with many more Nomus, in an explosion of black liquid and splintered metal.
Izuku wasn't breathing hard, nor did he seem winded. He just walked among the wreckage, his gaze fixed and his arms still wrapped in dark green energy, vibrating with a threatening intensity. Around him, the arena was destroyed, filled with broken bodies, shapeless masses of mutated flesh, black fluids, and sparks from failed quirks. And the worst part was, this massacre wasn't even close to over.
From above, the evil Izuku watched in absolute silence, taking notes in a black notebook that looked more like an experiment log. Every one of Izuku's movements was recorded in detail, as if it were part of a dissection. He didn't seem worried, more like entertained, as if all this horror were nothing more than a clinical observation.
—Interesting… —he murmured, his voice devoid of emotion—. This Izuku is radically different from the others. He eliminates the Nomus without showing any signs of fatigue or miscalculation. His tactical analysis is flawless. He faces enemies carrying multiple quirks. He knows exactly where to strike and how to wipe them out without issue. This kid is devastating. —A decapitated Nomu head went whistling past his face, and he didn't even blink—. This is perfect control of One For All... 100% functional, focused, how the hell does he not have the physical limitations that tear the body apart? Could it be because of his connection to the one with the white mask? And to top it off, he complements it with those black whips for area control and defense without needing to move more than necessary. Seriously, Symbol of Peace, your disciple has become a problem of major proportions.
Toshinori could barely stay composed. His eyes reflected shock and anguish. He knew Izuku had progressed, but seeing him reach 100% at that speed was something none of the previous holders had achieved. For an instant, a small spark of hope was born in his chest, thinking that maybe Izuku really could escape that trap… but that hope was crushed the moment the evil Izuku turned his head toward him and flashed a maniacal smile, as if he knew exactly what he was thinking, as if he could read his very soul. That smile carried no promise of victory, only a warning: you haven't seen anything yet.
—Want us to move on to the next phase? —the evil Izuku asked his companion, a hooded figure who hadn't taken his eyes off the arena, his tone lacking any real interest, as if what was happening were just routine.
—Sounds good to me... I want to know what makes this Izuku so special that my master wants him dead.
The signal was immediate. A directly-fired impact round shot from above hit Izuku square in the torso, throwing him off balance. It was fast, breaking the sound barrier effortlessly. The projectile didn't pierce him, but it pushed him back and broke his stance. The blows started raining down one after another without pause, surrounding him completely. From every angle came attacks that could level a mountain. Fists like anvils, kicks charged with electricity, bone claws screeching as they tore into the ground, all of it fell on him without a single second's respite. Every time he lashed out a whip to push one back, two more replaced it or regenerated instantly. There was no escape.
One of them wrapped around his waist with extendable legs, blocking his movement; another discharged a direct blast into his back that made his muscles crack; meanwhile, two more held him by the arms, digging their claws into his shoulders, trying to immobilize him through sheer attrition.
The air grew thicker, charged with electricity, heat, and tension. The stadium platforms began to tremble, the concrete splitting under the Nomus' feet from the force of the siege. And then, one of them, even more imposing than the rest, emerged from the circle: taller than the others, its right arm monstrous, covered by a density quirk that multiplied its mass a hundredfold. It rose above the mountain of bodies and brought that fist down like a sentence, as if it were the final blow that would crush all resistance.
Izuku, still trapped among bodies, blood, bones, and metal, barely managed to raise his arm, energy crackling weakly on his skin... but it wasn't enough. The impact came down with full fury on him, crushing his arm and making his body vanish inside that ocean of monstrosity. The ground cracked. The shockwave spread across the entire stadium. And the silence that followed was brutal.
—No… No… No!! NOOOOOOOOO!! —Toshinori screamed in desperation, already ripping the gag from his mouth—. This can't be happening!! This can't be happening!! IZUKUUUUU!!
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—This can't be happening! —Shoto snarled through his teeth, stumbling back as his last glacier shattered into a thousand pieces under my fire's onslaught. The frost didn't last a single second against the heat I was unleashing. My blood was boiling, the fight was getting more frustrating by the second, and he kept holding back. He was supposed to face someone worthy, not a kid shackled to his own trauma. How pathetic.
I pushed off backward with force, putting distance between us as I raised my right arm. Without wasting time, I materialized a bow of fire, steady and vibrant. I didn't even need to aim. I simply released the built-up energy, unleashing a rain of blazing arrows that cut through the air with incandescent roars. Each one struck Shoto's position with surgical force, detonating in consecutive bursts that sent up columns of smoke, ice fragments, and stone. The arena trembled. The crowd screamed with excitement. And I… I had no intention of stopping.
—What's happening?!! Young Midoriya isn't giving Young Todoroki a moment's rest! Is this what a prodigy student looks like?! —Present Mic shouted with enthusiasm, sending the whole crowd into a frenzy.
Shoto really was being pathetic. He refused to use his left side, his other quirk, like some crybaby. What kind of hero was that? A whiny kid with unresolved trauma? That was no use to me.
—You're seriously pathetic, Shoto! —I yelled from the other end of the arena, without letting up on my attacks—. Are you really going to keep holding back over some stupid hang-up?! Didn't your mother tell you anything to knock that damn childishness out of you?!
Shoto roared and charged straight at me with a frontal strike. It wasn't hard to dodge. I stepped aside, grabbed his arm, and threw him to the ground without mercy. He fell on his back, rolled across the arena, and barely managed to stop himself before crossing the boundary. His exhaustion was obvious, the tension in his jaw, the tremors in his frost-covered arm. Even so, he froze part of my arm in retaliation. I guessed that was his way of saying he was done and wanted to give up. Good sentiment, bad execution.
—Shut up! Didn't you say you didn't want anything to do with me?!
—Only if that didn't mean you were going to hold back like some idiot! —I spat back, fire gathering in my palms—. Ever since the U.S.J. incident I already know how far you can go... But tell me one thing, Todoroki! Do you even know what my real limit is?!
A burst of heat evaporated the ice on my arm instantly. Steam wrapped around the area, and the contrast with the ice only increased the thermal pressure on the field. I watched Shoto take a step back, exhausted, while I was just starting to enjoy the fight. I could hide my exhaustion. He couldn't.
—My quirk is pyrokinesis. I don't just control fire: I shape it, refine it, adapt it. I can create whatever I want, attack from wherever I want. I'm your damn counterpart, your equal. But there's one thing that breaks our symmetry. You hold back, I push my potential to the limit.
Holding nothing back, I formed a massive wall of fire in front of me, heat surging like a roar. In one motion, I hurled it straight at him, with all the rage I'd built up. Shoto, visibly desperate, raised a wall of ice, trying to contain the blast. But it was useless.
The fire crashed into his shield, tore through it without resistance, and engulfed him completely. The explosion threw him through the air, his body spinning several times before crashing heavily onto the arena, gasping, his gaze disoriented and his face covered in ash.
His ice had cracked. So had his confidence. He no longer had a way to match me... This was so frustrating!!
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—Izukuuuu!! —Toshinori screamed, forcing with all his strength a transformation his body could no longer sustain. For a second, his muscular form appeared... only to dissolve into a weak, useless puff of smoke. Toshinori couldn't believe it.
—You really are pathetic —the evil Izuku murmured with disdain. He snapped his fingers and Toshinori's body floated without resistance, dragged until it slammed against the balcony railing—. That tape wrapped around you isn't ordinary. It absorbs every remaining particle of energy in your body, cutting your three hours as a hero down to mere seconds. Keep forcing your quirk and you'll have nothing left. Do you really want this world to lose the "Symbol of Peace" too?
Toshinori lowered his head. What he saw below wasn't a fight. It was an execution. Izuku, his successor, his student, was trapped in the middle of a horde of monsters, being beaten without mercy. Every onslaught sank him deeper into that storm of bodies, with no chance to fight back. Watching him like that... it was tearing him apart inside.
Tears blurred his vision. His chest burned with helplessness.
—Please… you already have me. Leave him alone —he begged, his voice breaking, sinking to his knees—. All For One… he wants me, not Young Himura. He has nothing to do with any of this...
The evil Izuku didn't answer right away. He kept writing in his notebook, focused, as if none of it carried any real weight. Then he looked up and gave him a familiar smile… the same one Izuku used to give him whenever he needed strength, only now it came from a monster wearing his face.
—Ah, All Might… still a fool, even in your most desperate moments —he said calmly, leaning down until he was face to face with him. His smile never wavered—. Listen closely, because I'm not going to repeat myself: I don't work for some All For One. I don't care about his war or his grudges. I'm just carrying out a job, for my partner's weird boss. This is just business. This Izuku has to die. Period.
He forced him to stand again, gripping him hard by one of the restraints, pulling his face close.
—Understand this once and for all, we come from another universe, Toshinori. Parallel worlds exist, infinite possibilities. And in every one of them, fate takes a different turn. Ours... brought me here. The reason doesn't matter, only the outcome. And I don't care whether you're here to see it or not. But since you are... stay and watch. This is a reminder you should keep in mind.
A screen appeared, floating in the air, showing real-time data. It scanned the arena, tracking Izuku. The evil Izuku looked at it with a furrowed brow, clearly not liking the result.
—Still alive… even after all that. Curious. My previous versions didn't last this long —he closed the notebook—. This is starting to wear on me.
—That's your fault for not scanning his abilities better. Great job, professional assassin —his companion said mockingly, irritating the evil Izuku further.
—Shut up!... This ends now.
The snap was brief, almost imperceptible to the ear, but what came after was anything but subtle.
Beside him appeared a different Nomu. Its arrival speed was impossible to track. Tall, thin, with a strong build, wearing a split metallic suit with red and blue features, sturdy wristbands, and a temperature intensity that ran as hot on one side as it ran cold on the other, which Toshinori found unsettlingly familiar. Even more so when its right side was covered in thick frost and massive chunks of ice.
Its face was hidden by a smooth metal mask, with no features or visible eyes. It made no sound. It showed no emotion. But its mere presence made it clear it wasn't like the others.
The moment it materialized, it knelt before the evil Izuku with a firm, precise bow. Every movement calculated, no wasted motion. It knew exactly who it answered to.
—You know what to do. Impale him.
The Nomu vanished instantly, disintegrating into the air only to reappear seconds later on the roof of the stadium's central structure. In its hands it held a giant ice bar, nearly three meters long, proportionally wide and reinforced at the end with a solid point. This was no improvised spear. It was a weapon built for a single purpose: to pierce through and instantly kill its target.
The Nomus on the field moved without needing any instruction, retreating like well-trained pieces to leave a clean, clear gap in the center, just enough for the...
Toshinori understood instantly. He felt all the air leave his body. Desperation swallowed him whole. He thrashed, tried with all his strength to free his arms, tried to transform, to force his body back into that form that had once inspired hope. But it was useless. What little he managed to pull off consumed him instantly. His transformation lasted barely a few milliseconds. Then, once again, the smoke. The helplessness.
And then came the worst part.
The evil Izuku grabbed him by the head with force and shoved him against the metal railing, forcing him to watch the arena, to watch... what he couldn't save.
—Watch closely, hero —he whispered, digging his knuckles into his skull while gripping his face brutally—. Don't blink. Don't cry. Just watch and say goodbye to one more person you couldn't save... All Might. Hahaha.
But Toshinori couldn't see clearly. There was only dust, piled-up bodies, and blood in the center of the arena. He knew Izuku was in there, somewhere in that silent chaos, buried beneath a mountain of enemies. But he couldn't make him out. He couldn't help him. He couldn't even scream. All he had left was to watch... and suffer.
The bar came down like a projectile.
The blow shook the stadium's structure, the crash like thunder exploding through the concrete's guts, and for an instant, everything went still. The Nomus stopped moving. The entire stadium fell into an absolute, dense, unbearable silence. Not a scream, not a word, not a breath could be heard.
Toshinori didn't blink. He didn't breathe. He just stared at the center of the field, hoping to see something that could deny it all.
And then he saw it. A blood-soaked hand gripping the bar.
He recognized it instantly. It was Izuku. But there was no strength in that posture. He wasn't pushing, wasn't trying to get up. He was just... still there. Like one more piece among the bodies. As if the only thing he'd managed to do before falling was reach out his hand. Maybe to hold himself up. Maybe just so he wouldn't give up without trying.
Toshinori didn't scream. He didn't shake. He didn't beg. He knew all too well… there was no one left to save.