The battlefield was a symphony of destruction.
Nomu shrieked and crashed, the earth beneath us shattered with every impact. Fires flared like malevolent stars, casting flickering shadows across broken faces and bloodied armor.
And in the eye of that storm, we fought—together, but barely holding onto the fragile threads of trust that now bound us.
Diamond's lightning carved arcs of blue fury through the chaos, each strike a desperate plea for control in the madness.
Eliza's fists hardened the ground beneath her, shattering bone and steel alike as she carved a path through the onslaught.
Marcus's acid burned through armor and flesh with equal cruelty, his voice sharp with frustration as he barked orders to the scattered survivors.
And me? I was the shadow that moved between them—the Dark Phantom they all knew now, the brother, the friend, the ghost revealed.
Every time I glanced at them, their eyes flickered with questions—pain, betrayal, hope. And I carried their weight like a wound I couldn't show.
"Phantom, incoming!" Thorn's voice cut through the static, sharp and steady.
A towering Nomu—faster, stronger than any before—charged with brutal intent.
I met it head-on, fists colliding with its armored chest. The impact shattered my ribs again, but I didn't falter.
Behind me, Diamond screamed, unleashing a tempest of electricity that slowed the creature's advance.
Eliza and Marcus closed in, their attacks synchronized like a deadly dance.
But the Nomu wasn't done.
With a roar, it unleashed a devastating shockwave that threw us all back—pain exploded through my body.
I hit the ground hard, vision blurring.
And then I saw him.
Izuku.
His green eyes blazing with fury and despair.
Beside him, Bakugo and Shoto—wounded, exhausted, but unyielding.
They fought with everything left in them, pushing back against impossible odds.
But Izuku's gaze locked on me—confusion, anger, and something deeper.
I wanted to reach out, to tell him who I was beneath the mask.
But the risk was too high.
Instead, I swallowed the ache in my chest, steeling myself to fight on.
"Stay with me," I muttered to Thorn as I rose, every breath a battle.
"We can end this," he said, voice fierce.
"No," I growled, "we survive this."
The war was far from over.
But in this moment—amid broken friendships and burning skies—we were still standing.
And that was something worth fighting for.