Smoke choked the air. Distant cries echoed through the shattered halls of the USJ. And in the flood zone, Todoroki Shoto narrowed his eyes at the low-level villains struggling to regroup around him.
He had frozen half the training area with a single sweep of his arm—walls, debris, even water turned solid from the sheer force of his ice. But his breath still caught as he glanced toward the main plaza where the chaos had started.
“Why are they here?” he muttered aloud. “If they wanted to kill All Might... why now? Why like this?”
And beneath that thought came another, colder one:
Are they here for her?
His gaze flicked across the battlefield.
But Hikari was gone—teleported with the rest of the class. Split up. Scattered. Isolated.
He clenched his jaw.5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fmLhSTkHH
He hated not knowing where she was.
Back near the center of the USJ, the chaos surged.
Aizawa moved like a ghost through the battlefield—his capture scarf whipping through the air, eyes glowing red as he disabled Quirks one by one. His movements were precise, ruthless. A low-level villain lunged. He sidestepped and dislocated their shoulder in a single motion.
But even he was tiring.
There were too many.
Then, a new presence stepped forward from the swirling portal of black and violet mist.
Hands. So many hands. Clinging to skin and face and clothing, like a grotesque patchwork of dismembered limbs.
The figure tilted his head, amused.
“You’ve been busy, Eraserhead. But let’s see how long you can last.”
He rushed forward with unnatural speed—eyes wide, smile twisted.
Aizawa’s Quirk activated, but the figure dodged too fast. His fingertips brushed the edge of Aizawa’s scarf—and with a hiss, began to decay the fabric.
Aizawa barely managed to retract the scarf before the decay spread to his arm. He countered with a knee to the chest, but the figure simply laughed.
He’s too fast, Aizawa thought grimly. And if he touches me directly...
A sharp swipe—Aizawa cried out. The villain’s hand grazed his side, and part of his support gear crumbled into ash.
Another lunge—faster this time.
Too close—
A golden barrier shimmered into existence around Aizawa just as the villain’s hand came down.
The decay halted. The villain’s head snapped up.
Hikari stood across the plaza, one arm raised, the golden light of her shield flickering with strain. Her expression was unreadable but her eyes burned. You can tell there was a fire inside of them.
Aizawa gasped.5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNqWpAwCao
“What are you doing?!”
She didn’t look at him. Her focus stayed locked on the enemy.
“I wasn’t going to let you die,” she said flatly. “Sorry for that’s inconvenient.”
The villain clicked his tongue, annoyed.5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegAoLNT1tr
“More distractions. How many of you brats did they pack into this place?”
“I’m not just another brat,” Hikari said, stepping forward.
He tilted his head.
Her voice was steady now—every syllable deliberate.
“You want All Might?” she said, her voice clear and cutting.5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBaDHsateKe
“Then come after his daughter.”
The battlefield froze. Even the villain paused, lips parting.
Aizawa was stunned. He never thought he would hear that day that she would claim to be All Might daugher.
Gasps rippled through the few students watching from the higher balconies. Ochaco clutched her chest.
“All Might… has a daughter?” Ochaco whispered.
Hikari stood tall, shoulders back.5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvrj8ua6rj
“Yeah.” A breath. “Surprise.”
The villain’s grin widened—unhinged, hungry, and now knowing.5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCWcnfozQn
“Oh... so that’s why they want you back so badly.”
He took a slow step forward, something gleaming behind his warped voice.
“This just got interesting.”
He lunged again—but this time, Hikari didn’t flinch.
Her hands glowed bright—one holding the barrier, the other crackling with electricity.
This time, she thought,5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhIbnkJol5X
I won’t run.
