Right as I finished mouthing off, the Nomu, following Tomura's barked command, came at me like a goddamn freight train. Its massive feet slammed into the ground, cracking the concrete into jagged chunks with every step, the sheer force vibrating through the air. I knew squaring up with this monstrosity was borderline insane, but what the hell was I supposed to do? Run? No chance. It let out a guttural roar, those blank, soulless eyes zeroing in on me like I was nothing more than a bug to squash. This thing wasn't alive in any real sense. It was a machine of destruction, built to break anything in its path.
I didn't waste a second. My body shifted fast, skin hardening into a tungsten alloy, perfect for soaking up the punishment this freak was about to dish out and cutting back just as hard. Its fist rocketed toward me, a blur of raw power, but I ducked to the side, barely dodging by a hair. Spinning on my heel, I countered with a punch aimed square at its chest, my metal-wrapped fist slamming into it with a clang that echoed through the chaos. It was like hitting a damn mountain, as its Shock Absorption Quirk swallowed the impact whole, leaving me with nothing but a faint ripple across its flesh.
"Hard as fuck!" I growled under my breath, frustration bubbling up as I threw harder shots, each one landing with a dull thud. But every damn hit was pointless. The dents I managed to carve into its chest popped back into shape almost instantly, its regeneration kicking in faster than I could keep up. It was like fighting a nightmare that wouldn't stay down.
"Your Quirk's regen, huh?" I smirked, forcing confidence into my voice as I switched my hand to diamond, the crystalline sheen glinting under the dim light. "Let's see how fast you patch up, you dumb beast!"
I planted my feet, squared my shoulders, and drove a full-force diamond-clad arm straight through its gut. The impact sent a spray of dark blood splattering across the ground, and I twisted my arm, ripping the wound wider to push the damage as far as it'd go. For a split second, I thought I had it - blood gushed, soaking its front, the air thick with the coppery stench. But then, just like before, the hole sealed shut in a flash, flesh knitting back together like it was mocking me. Every slash, every tear I managed to inflict, its healing ramped up, getting faster, meaner, and too quick for me to land anything that stuck.
Tomura's cackle cut through the air from a distance, sharp and gleeful, like a kid watching his favorite toy wreck shit. He didn't even notice Izuku, Mineta, and Tsuyu getting quietly dragged to safety by Mashirao, too caught up in his own twisted show.
"Nomu's built to take All Might head-on—you think your cheap tricks'll do something? Keep dreaming!"
I tuned out his bullshit, my brain churning at full speed to crack this puzzle. The Nomu could tank hits like a champ, heal faster than I could blink, and even soak up kinetic force that'd flatten most heroes, even All Might included. So the answer was simple: I had to fuck its regeneration beyond repair, break it so bad it couldn't bounce back. Easy in theory, brutal in practice. I just had to play it smart.
No hesitation, I backed off a few steps, let out a wild, unhinged laugh that echoed through the wreckage, and grabbed a fist-sized chunk of busted concrete from the ground. With a flick of my Quirk, I turned it into pure white phosphorus - nasty, volatile shit that'd turn this fight on its head. Aiming square at the Nomu's bloody chest, I hurled it without a second thought.
The second that chunk hit its wet, gore-slicked torso, the phosphorus reacted like a bomb. The blood's water and the air's oxygen kicked it into overdrive, igniting a searing, white-hot blaze that spread across its body in a heartbeat. This wasn't some tame campfire, it chewed deep, burning through skin, muscle, and tissue faster than its regen could keep up. White phosphorus doesn't fuck around; it's banned for a reason. Stick it to something bloody and alive, and it's a death sentence.
No water, no mercy, just relentless, flesh-eating fire.
The Nomu howled, a guttural, inhuman sound that rattled my bones, flailing wildly as it tore at its own body in a desperate bid to stop the flames. Pointless. Phosphorus doesn't quit, especially not when it's fused to blood and meat. Water would've just made it flare hotter, and the more it ripped itself apart, the worse it got. Fresh blood flowed, new muscle tried to regrow, only to get swallowed by the fire all over again. I didn't stop there, grabbing more concrete scraps, I turned them to phosphorus and kept chucking, piling it on until the bastard was a walking bonfire, flames licking every inch of its frame.
Tomura froze, his smug grin wiped clean off his face, eyes bulging like he couldn't process what he was seeing. His "unbeatable" pet was charring to a crisp right in front of him, reduced to bones and smoldering meat, no trace of that miracle regen left to save it. He gritted his teeth, fists trembling at his sides.
"What the fuck did you do?! Nomu's invincible! How's a punk like you…!"
I stood there, panting hard, damn near spent from the effort, but I locked eyes with him and grinned wide n creepy, unhinged, and loving every second of his meltdown.
"Just one thing: overloaded its healing 'til it broke. I don't give a shit how tough you think your trash heap is, find the counter, and even All For One'd call me daddy. Especially since I'm the one who smashed this fucker, not All Might…"
The phosphorus fire still raged on what was left of the Nomu, casting an eerie, flickering glow over the ash-choked battlefield. For the first time, Tomura's smug mask cracked, stumbled back a step, with a twisted mess of rage and fear on his face, like a kid who'd just lost his favorite toy and didn't know how to handle it.
"I won't let this slide! You'll all pay!" he screamed, his voice shrill and manic, eyes darting wildly.
Before I could even blink, he lunged forward, faster than I'd clocked him for, and wrapped his bony fingers around my throat. He slammed me into the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of me, his Decay Quirk flaring to life. I felt it - the sickening crumble of my skin starting to break apart under his touch. But I wasn't about to let him dust me that easy. Instead of clawing at him, I grabbed his arms with both hands, ready to trash them even if it meant going down with him. I kept that deranged grin plastered on my face, cackling like some unhinged villain straight out of a comic. The price - my neck, my life, whatever - was nothing compared to how this could derail the future I'd been fighting to rewrite.
Right as I braced myself for the end, his Quirk eating into my flesh, my hands turning his arms to stone in a desperate counter Hawks swooped in like a damn angel of death. His feathers shot through the air, razor-sharp and precise, forcing Tomura to let go and dodge. Endeavour charged in right behind him, fireballs roaring from his fists, and All Might came barreling through with a Detroit Smash that shook the ground. Kurogiri popped up just in time, his warp gate swallowing the hits and redirecting All Might somewhere else in the chaos.
"Tomura, pull back. This is out of hand," Kurogiri said, his voice calm but firm, cutting through the madness.
"But Nomu...!" Tomura snapped, his voice cracking with frustration, but Kurogiri didn't budge, yanking him toward a fresh warp gate. "It's done. We'll make stronger ones. Let's go."
Tomura stepped through, reluctant as hell, but not before shooting me one last glare, his red eyes burning with pure hatred. "Remember this, asshole. Next time, you won't get up."
The gate snapped shut behind him, leaving me and the rest of the crew in a heavy, suffocating silence. The Nomu's fire had finally fizzled out, its charred skeleton slumping into the rubble, embers gnawing at the last scraps of flesh clinging to its bones. The air stank of burnt meat and ash, thick enough to choke on.
Me? I couldn't move a damn muscle. The skin and muscle on my neck were half-decayed, the damage spreading slow but steady, blood pouring out like a busted pipe. I tried sealing it with my Quirk, hardening what was left, but I was tapped out, too drained to even twitch my fingers right. My vision blurred at the edges, every breath a ragged, painful slog, but I gritted my teeth and refused to let myself drop. I had to get home. Toga Himiko was waiting, and if anything went sideways with her, all the groundwork I'd laid would collapse like a house of cards.
I forced my eyes to focus, scanning the scene for a way to slip out while everyone was distracted. Hawks and Endeavour stood guard up front, their sharp eyes sweeping for any sign of a follow-up attack. All Might was tense, his massive frame coiled like a spring, but I caught him glancing my way, worry etched into his face even through the strain of the fight.
Izuku and the rest of the Class 1-A crew came running over, their faces pale but determined as they saw me still pushing through.
"Onodera! Stop moving! We'll get you to safety!" Izuku shouted, his hands shaky but reaching out like he could haul me up himself.
I shook my head, every twitch sending a stab of pain through my wrecked neck. "No… fuck that… I gotta… get home…"
"Are you crazy?!" Mashirao yelled, his voice cracking with panic as blood soaked my shirt, spreading fast across my chest. "You'll die without treatment now! Stop being stubborn and think about yourself for once!"
I shot him a glare, wild and desperate, my eyes burning with a mix of exhaustion and resolve. "No… you don't get it… She… can't fuck up…"
Shoto and Ochako opened their mouths to argue, but Hawks stepped in, placing a firm hand on their shoulders. "I'll handle it," he said, his tone calm but carrying an edge of urgency. He moved toward me, pulling a thick bandage from the med kit on his belt and wrapping it tight around my neck to slow the bleeding. Aizawa - battered to hell but somehow still conscious - staggered over and activated his Quirk, his eyes glowing red as he locked onto me, halting the decay's spread just in time.
"Listen, kid," Hawks said, crouching down so we were eye-level, his red wings catching the faint glow of the Nomu's dying embers. "You need treatment now. I'll get you to a hospital, then we'll sort out whatever you've got going on. It'll be fine—trust me."
I wanted to scream, to tell him I couldn't leave Toga alone for too long, that everything hinged on her not screwing this up, but I couldn't spill that here, not with everyone listening. And honestly, I was too damn drained to even get the words out. My head lolled slightly, the edges of my vision darkening as I fought to stay conscious.
…
I don't know how long I was out, just that when I finally cracked my eyes open, it was morning. Soft, dim light spilled from a wall lamp, bouncing off a stark white ceiling that screamed hospital ward. The sharp sting of antiseptic hit my nose, strong enough to make me want to puke, but the pain in my neck had dulled to a manageable ache, and the bone-deep exhaustion had eased up a fraction.
I tried moving.
I felt the tug of an IV in my arm, my neck wrapped tight in bandages that pulled with every shift. All Might was sitting beside me, his skinny frame slouched in a chair, dressed in baggy clothes that hung off his real, worn-down form. He noticed me stir, his sharp blue eyes locking onto mine, and gave a faint, tired smile.
"You're finally awake, kid. Had me thinking you were in deep coma…"
I let out a rough exhale, pushing myself to sit up despite the sting that flared through my neck. "Where am I?"
"Hospital," he said, his voice soft but carrying a hint of reprimand. "You lost a lot of blood, but don't worry, it's not life-threatening anymore. If you'd been any more pigheaded, though, I wouldn't bet on you still breathing…"
I clenched my jaw, too worn out to argue but not liking the jab either. "What'd you all… do after?"
"Hawks and Endeavour rounded up the stragglers. The gate guy yanked his crew out before we could nab him, but that big freak… done for," All Might said, pausing as he fixed me with a look that was equal parts stern and loaded with meaning. "You've got more criminal in you than heroic recklessness, you know? Using white phosphorus to kill a threat's a dangerous move."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out my pager -my stomach dropped, face going pale as he held it up. He didn't dive into it yet, just kept talking. "Ryuga, I get you did everything to protect everyone back there. But pulling stunts that risky… it's not just beyond a hero's line, it puts you and everyone around in a tight spot. Heroes shield folks from evil, not out-evil the bad guys!"
I wanted to snap back, to shout that I didn't have a choice, that it was the only way to stop the Nomu and keep the others alive, but my throat locked up, the words dying before they could form. He wasn't wrong. His points hit like a sledgehammer, calling me out for crossing a line I hadn't even realized I'd stepped over until it was too late.
"About this," All Might said, holding the pager up between his fingers, "found it on you when we brought you in. This thing is not very common anymore, but somehow it still connects to another device… You're hiding something big from me."
My blood turned to ice, a cold sweat prickling down my spine. "What do you mean by that...?"
All Might sighed, his expression shifting to a mix of disappointment and curiosity as he studied me. "This is not something a student should have. Tell me why you have this, or the police will do it instead of me."
I knew this was going to leak eventually, secrets like Toga don't stay buried forever, not when you're juggling this much chaos. I took a deep breath, snatched the pager from his hand, and fired off a quick text to Toga: Get to the Central Hospital ASAP. Be damn careful.
My fingers shook as I typed, but I kept my face blank, shoving the pager into my pocket before meeting All Might's gaze again. \
Whatever came next, I'd deal with it, just like always...