(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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Meanwhile on his way back home...
Izuku froze.
"...."
The evening breeze that had been brushing lightly against his uniform suddenly felt cold… suffocating.
His eyes were glued to the TV through the shop's glass window.
The scrolling red emergency banner listed hostages trapped inside the hijacked jewelry store —
A store he had literally walked past many times on his way home.
At first, Izuku's heart raced with worry for the anonymous strangers inside.
"...."
But then—
Beep —
Hostage List Updated...
The crowd murmured.
Izuku leaned closer.
As the list showed the victims trapped in one by one.
The screen flashed:
– Hostage #42: Midoriya Inko (Age 38).
His mother's photo appeared.
Izuku's world shattered.
"...."
"No… no no no…"
His breath hitched.
The chatter around him faded into static.
His vision blurred at the edges.
His fingers dug painfully into his palms until they trembled.
He pressed a hand to the glass unconsciously,
As if trying to reach the screen.
"That can't— she— she was just going to the grocery store morning—"
He stepped back.
Then forward.
Then back again.
His legs felt rubbery.
His mind was screaming.
'Mom is inside… mom is inside… mom is inside—'
He looked wildly at the pro heroes on screen—
The ones being held back by the villain's shimmering transparent shield.
Kamui Woods.
Death Arms.
Mt. Lady.
"...."
"...."
"...."
None of them could get in.
They weren't even trying anymore—
the terrorists had warned them.
"Break the shield and the quirk owner will know about the breach and kill every hostage before you even step inside."
The news anchor added.
"The situation remains critical. Among the hostages is a key political figure's daughter, as well as multiple teens and working women… including Midoriya Inko, mother of a recently accepted U.A. student."
Izuku staggered forward like he'd been punched.
Everyone's eyes turned toward him as he gasped,
"M–Mom…"
Tears welled instantly—
But he forced them back, jaw trembling.
He didn't run.
He didn't scream.
He stood there shaking, breathing hard, trying desperately to hold himself together.
Because collapsing now won't save her.
He whispered, voice breaking.
"All Might… please. Please get her out. Please save everyone…"
But the news reporter continued:
"All Might has not yet arrived on scene."
The TV studio lights flashed across the glass storefront, reflecting in Izuku's wide, trembling eyes.
But this time, he wan't the only one staring in fear.
A sharp "Tch."
Sounded behind him.
-Tch
"...."
Izuku turned.
Bakugo stood there, hands shoved in his pockets, jaw clenched hard enough to crack teeth.
He hadn't expected to run into Izuku here—
Let alone to find him pale, shaking, and crying silently.
Bakugo followed Izuku's gaze to the broadcast.
Hostage #42: Midoriya Inko.
For a split second—
Just a split second—
Bakugo's eyes softened.
"...."
Even his breathing hitched.
He remembered her kind smile…
The lunches she packed when he and Izuku were little…
The way she always spoke gently to him despite his attitude.
Then his face twisted.
He couldn't show that softness now.
No way.
So he bared his teeth and growled loudly:
"Those damn extras were bound to get caught sooner or later! They walk around clueless like pigeons—they were basically begging villains to grab 'em!"
His voice was harsh. Sharp.
But Izuku heard what lay beneath it.
He was trying to pull Izuku out of panic.
Trying to make him angry instead of broken.
Izuku swallowed hard.
-Gulp
His lips quivered, but he nodded faintly.
-Nod
"...."
He understood.
Bakugo stared straight at the TV now, eyes burning—
Not with cruelty…
…but with the fury of someone who absolutely refuses to let a weakling like fear dominate Izuku.
And then—
The air itself trembled.
A red-gold streak tore across the sky.
People screamed.
Cameras jolted.
The glass window vibrated under Izuku's fingers.
The streak hit the ground with a metallic boom—
RA-ONE.
Circuitry pulsed across his armor as he stepped off his energy-forged bike.
The vehicle dissolved behind him into a spray of red cubes,
Shimmering like embers before disappearing completely.
The news anchor practically shrieked:
"R-RA-ONE! America's Rank #2 Hero—has just arrived on scene! Ladies and gentlemen, Ra-One makes his official debut here in Japan!"
Izuku's lungs filled painfully—
Like he could breathe for the first time in minutes.
Behind him, Bakugo's pupils shrank, a grin stretching across his face despite his attempt to hide it.
"Tch… finally something worth watching,"
He muttered.
But even that couldn't mask the spark in his eyes—
A raw, explosive excitement.
On-screen—
Kamui Woods approached first, voice tight with urgency.
Death Arms followed.
Mt. Lady strode over as well, tossing her hair back with a nervous laugh.
"...."
"...."
"...."
They greeted Ra-One with relief and admiration—
But shock too.
Because standing before them was not just a foreign hero.
It was a one-man army.
Kamui Woods quickly briefed him.
"The villains are using a quirk-generated barrier. If we force it, the quirk's owner will sense it—hostages will die instantly. Sixty-eight people inside. One is a political leader's daughter. One is a teen—one of U.A.'s applicants' mother—"
Izuku felt his chest twist again,
But now he stood straighter.
Bakugo's expression hardened.
His eyes flicked toward Izuku and then back to the screen.
"Oi. Deku,"
He muttered.
His voice was low.
Unusually raw.
"…That guy better save her."
Izuku nodded firmly.
-Nod
"He will. I believe in him."
And on the street outside the jewelry shop—
Ra-One lifted his head toward the shimmering villain barrier.
His mask glowed brighter.
Japan was about to witness what America already knew:
When Ra-One arrives, people get saved.
Ra-One stepped forward, boots scraping against the asphalt as the glowing villain barrier shimmered like a liquid wall of light in front of the entrance.
He lifted a hand and pressed his palm to the barrier.
A distorted voice from inside the jewelry shop snarled through a speaker.
"OI! You touch that again and someone in here dies!"
Ra-One paused.
"...."
His crimson mask tilted slightly—
As if bored.
Then he slowly pulled his hand back.
For a moment,
The heroes behind him thought he would retreat.
But then—
BZZZZ—CHRRR—
Red-gold Brahmastra cubes spiraled into existence around his palm,
Whirling faster until a solid glowing cube formed,
Humming with compressed energy.
Mt. Lady's eyes widened.
"...."
"W-What is he—?"
Ra-One threw the cube.
And the moment it touched the barrier—
FWOOOOOM!
Space folded.
A portal split open, one side outside the barrier,
The other side appearing inside the shop.
The barrier remained intact—
Untouched.
Kamui Woods stared, stunned.
"…He bypassed it."
Death Arms blinked, awe mixing with disbelief.
"Holy— He just… opened a door?"
Without a word,
Ra-One bent his knees and leapt cleanly through the portal.
Inside the Jewelry Shop...
Inside, the shop was a mess—
Shattered display cases, frightened hostages tied together,
And villains patrolling like wild animals.
One stepped out first—
A man with a cheetah's spotted fur, humanoid body, and a lashing tail.
He carried a serrated machete and opened his mouth.
"What the— how did you—?"
He never finished.
Ra-One appeared instantly before him—
A blur of crackling red energy—
SNAP.
The cheetah-man dropped, unconscious before his body even hit the floor.
Ra-One caught him by the collar and laid him silently against the wall just as Kamui Woods slid in through the active portal.
Kamui whispered,
"I didn't even see you move…"
Ra-One didn't reply.
"...."
He simply placed the unconscious villain into Kamui's arms.
Then—
A shimmer of red ripples swept across Ra-One's body.
The cubes crawled over his armor, reforming, reshaping—
Until standing there was not Ra-One…
…but the cheetah villain, perfectly mimicked down to the tail, muscle pattern, and scars.
Kamui's jaw dropped.
"...."
"Well I could maintain this disguise for..."
Ra-One's voice was now the villain's.
"Three hours."
Mt. Lady, who had slipped in behind them, whispered,
"Okay… that's terrifying."
Ra-One—
Now disguised—
Leaned closer to the two pro heroes.
"Listen carefully. I'll walk in as one of them. Neutralize the leader and any high-threat villains before they can harm a hostage."
He pointed to a far door.
"When you see my signal, break in. Hard and fast. No hesitation."
Kamui Woods frowned.
-Frown
"What signal?"
Ra-One's disguised mouth curled slightly.
"…You'll know."
Death Arms gulped as he watched the disguised Ra-One turn toward the inner corridor—
His posture shifting smoothly into a predator's prowl.
Mt. Lady whispered under her breath.
"I can see why America made him Rank 2…"
Kamui Woods nodded grimly.
-Nod
"And why criminals fear him."
Ra-One didn't look back as he opened the inner door.
He simply murmured, voice unrecognizable.
"Watch for the thunder."
Then he slipped into the shadows—
—toward the leader.
Toward the hostages.
Toward the end of this terrorists.
Rudra—
Still wearing the shape of the cheetah-villain—
Walked in with steady, predatory steps, a stolen gun hanging loosely in his hand.
The room reeked of fear and adrenaline.
There were eight terrorists inside.
Sixty-eight hostages sat on the ground,
Hands over their heads—
Children, teens, elderly, businesswomen…
All trembling under the watchful eyes of armed criminals.
One terrorist was stuffing jewelry into a black duffel bag.
Another was tightening a bomb vest around a teenage girl's torso.
She sobbed uncontrollably,
Shaking like her bones were rattling against her skin.
By the far wall, a lanky man stood with his middle finger pressed to his lips, eyes half-closed.
A faint shimmer surrounded him—
The source of the barrier quirk outside.
He didn't even notice Rudra approaching.
The hostages watched silently… helpless… unaware that the "cheetah-man" walking past them was their only hope.
Rudra stopped behind the barrier-user.
A weapon materialized in his palm, red cubes swirling into shape until they formed a Brahmastra-forged hammer,
Glowing faintly like molten metal.
And then—
WHAM!!
The hammer cracked against the back of the man's skull with brutal precision.
The barrier-user flew across the room like a ragdoll,
Slammed into the front door,
And collapsed in a groaning heap—
The barrier instantly collapsing with him.
The room froze.
Silence.
Shock.
Confusion.
"...."
"...."
"...."
One terrorist stuttered,
"H-Hey! What the hell are you doing—?!"
That was the signal.
THWIP—SHRRR!
Vines exploded into the store as Kamui Woods swung in through the front,
Branches lashing out like whips.
BOOM—!
Death Arms crashed through right behind him,
Punching a table into splinters as he bulldozed forward.
The terrorists panicked, guns rising—
—but before any of them could pull a trigger—
The leader, a scarred man with two-colored hair and the bomb remote clenched in his fist, shouted.
"BACK OFF OR SHE—"
He never finished.
A spinning Brahmastra axe ripped through the air with a whistle—
SHNK!
The remote—
And the hand holding it—
Were severed cleanly.
-Ahhhh
The man screamed,
Stumbling back as the axe disintegrated into red cubes before it even touched the floor.
Before any terrorist could retaliate,
Rudra flicked his wrist.
A glowing Brahmastra disc shot across the room like a comet,
Embedding itself in the floor behind the hostages.
It unfurled into a domed protective barrier,
Encasing all sixty-eight hostages in a shimmering, golden-red shield.
Safe.
Secure.
Untouchable.
One terrorist cursed.
"THAT HERO— HE FOOLED US!"
Another raised his gun,
Only to be ensnared by Kamui Woods' vines.
Death Arms bulldozed into a third,
Sending him through a glass display.
Rudra dismissed his disguise with a ripple of red cubes,
Revealing Ra-One's dark suit and glowing red eyes beneath the hood.
His presence alone killed the momentum of the remaining criminals.
He stepped forward—
"...."
"...."
"...."
Silent, unreadable—
And the terrorists broke, trying to flee.
None escaped.
Vines bound them,
Fists knocked them out, and Ra-One's sword of golden energy flickered through the air with surgical precision—
Disarming, disabling, subduing.
Within forty seconds—
It was over.
Hostages safe.
Bomb deactivated.
Villains neutralized.
And Japan had just witnessed the terrifying efficiency of America's Rank 2 hero.
One by one, the hostages stepped out of the shattered entrance—
Some limping, some crying, some clinging to whoever supported them.
And when they saw the bright daylight and the wall of police and heroes waiting outside,
The terror on their faces finally melted into relief.
Behind them emerged Ra-One, calm as a glacier, his hood casting a shadow over the glowing red slits of his mask.
Kamui Woods followed,
Adjusting his gloves with the stiff seriousness of someone pretending he hadn't just sprinted through a crime scene.
Death Arms came out last, Rubbing his knuckles like they were still itching for more action.
A few seconds later—
Mt. Lady squeezed through the shop doorway,
Still in her normal size, puffing out her cheeks with a dramatic pout.
"I could have helped, you know, If only you guys shifted the fight outside."
She complained.
Kamui Woods didn't even look at her as he muttered,
"This is what you get for stealing the spotlight last week."
Mt. Lady whipped her head toward him with a glare sharp enough to cut steel.
"...."
"Excuse me? That was ONE TIME—!"
Death Arms coughed loudly.
-Cough
"...."
Kamui Woods pretended to not hear her.
Ra-One didn't react at all—
Like background noise didn't register.
Meanwhile, the street swelled with emotions as the families of the hostages rushed forward.
Crying mothers hugged daughters.
Businessmen exhaled like they had held their breath for hours.
A young teen girl who almost wore a bomb vest was wrapped in her father's trembling arms he is the political figure.
Relief spread through the crowd like a wave of warm water.
But in one small corner of the street…
Izuku Midoriya stood frozen.
He watched his mother—
"...."
Frazzled hair, shaking hands, tear-streaked cheeks—
Step out into the daylight.
An officer guided her gently toward the open area.
For a moment,
Izuku forgot to breathe.
His knees weakened.
His vision blurred for a heartbeat.
Then—
"Mom…!"
He didn't even realize he'd moved until he was already halfway across the road, pushing past onlookers.
Bakugo stood beside him, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.
His gaze flickered from Inko to Ra-One.
He scoffed loudly.
-Tch
"...."
"Tch. Figures. That extra would need saving eventually."
But the tightness in Bakugo's jaw… the brief flare of emotion in his eyes… they betrayed him.
He was relieved too.
He turned away sharply before anyone could notice.
Izuku reached his mother and wrapped his arms around her,
Trembling with delayed shock.
His heart hammered against his ribs like it was trying to break free.
He couldn't imagine—
He didn't even want to imagine—
What could've happened if Ra-One hadn't come.
Inko clung to him, her own shoulders shaking.
"It's okay, sweetie… I'm safe… I'm safe now…"
Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat and pressed his forehead to her shoulder.
Behind them, camera flashes erupted around Ra-One as reporters swarmed in,
Shouting questions—
But the red-eyed hero simply walked forward, silent, cutting through the noise like a ghost.
Japan had just met its newest—
And most unpredictable—
Hero.
Rudra—
Still in his Ra-One form—
Ignited the Brahmāstra energy beneath him.
The shimmering force bent and folded like liquid lightning,
Constructing a spectral bike around him,
Metal forming from pure astral will.
With a sharp twist of the handlebars,
RA-ONE revved the engine—
VRRMM—
And shot forward in a blur of red fire.
Reporters stumbled back, cameras jerking as the shockwave rippled past.
The anchors stood frozen.
"...."
"...."
"...."
Heroes usually stopped.
Heroes usually smiled for interviews.
Heroes usually answered questions.
This one didn't.
He vanished up the street,
Trailing a comet-like streak of astral light—
And the stunned news crews were left staring at empty air.
But professionalism won out.
Microphones were lifted.
Cameras steadied.
The anchors clicked back into performance mode and continued their coverage.
"Ra-One has left the scene—without comment. We shift now to the heroes emerging from the jewellery shop…"
The moment they failed to stop Rudra, the horde of reporters pivoted like a swarm of vultures,
Redirecting toward the three heroes still present—
Kamui Woods, Death Arms, and Mt. Lady.
Questions flew like machine-gun fire:
"WHAT HAPPENED INSIDE?"
"WHO FOUGHT THE VILLAIN FIRST?"
"WERE THE HOSTAGES EVER IN REAL DANGER?"
"DID MT. LADY SUPPORT RA-ONE FROM BEHIND THE SCENES?"
Kamui Woods raised his hands, trying to keep order.
Death Arms opened his mouth to speak.
But Mt. Lady stepped in front of them, hips cocked, smile bright, waving dramatically at the cameras as if the entire operation had been her solo performance.
"Oh! Oh! Let me explain!"
She said sweetly.
Kamui Woods' eye twitched.
-Twich
"...."
Death Arms sighed.
-Sigh
"...."
Mt. Lady launched into her "account"—
Completely rewriting events:
"Well, first of all, I held the villain at bay outside to protect civilians!"
She declared, despite having done absolutely nothing.
"Then I monitored Ra-One's movements from a tactical position while coordinating a plan! You see, heroes like me—experienced ones—know how to read a situation…"
Cameras flashed.
Reporters nodded.
-Nod
"...."
"...."
"...."
Kamui Woods muttered under his breath,
"This is what we get for stealing the credit last time…"
Mt. Lady shot him a glare sharp enough to cut glass,
Never breaking her radiant fake smile for the cameras.
More questions piled in,
And Mt. Lady basked in the attention like a cat in sunlight,
Happily spinning the story in her favor while the other two heroes stood behind her—
Tired, embarrassed, and increasingly irritated.
Meanwhile…
Up above the skyline, far from the crowd,
Ra-One raced across the city on his astral bike.
Rudra's astral bike screeched to a halt beside a quiet lakeshore,
The moonlight rippling over the water like silver silk.
He swung his leg down, boots touching the sand.
The moment he stepped away,
The bike broke apart into floating cubes of Brahmāstra energy,
Each one pulsing softly before dissolving into thin air.
Rudra exhaled—
Finally away from cameras, crowds, and chaos.
His hand pressed lightly against his chest.
In a flash of astral shimmer,
The Ra-One suit peeled away,
Vanishing as quickly as it had come…
Revealing his plain school uniform underneath, crisp and untouched despite the battle.
He moved to the water's edge and sat, letting the cool breeze brush past him.
"...."
And then—
A translucent blue System Screen opened before his eyes.
[DING...]
[Mission Complete...]
[Reward Granted]
[• 10 ★ Heroic Reputation]
[• 100 Hope Points]
Rudra leaned back on his palms,
Staring at the numbers as they updated.
Finally…
Finally he had enough.
The thing he had waited for—
The thing he needed most.
The system shop flickered open, shelves of impossible abilities and cosmic permissions scrolling past.
He tapped the one he had been saving for.
〈Soulbound Exodus Authority〉
[A transcendent authority allowing the user to call trusted individuals from previous worlds into the current one.]
[Their powers, memories, and existence are integrated seamlessly—without requiring this world's approval.]
[However, for future worlds, the authority requires "World Favor" or the completion of specific planetary conditions before activation.]
[Cost: 5000 Hope Points]
His current balance: 5090 Hope Points
Rudra didn't hesitate.
"...."
Purchase.
The screen burst into a pillar of golden light.
[Soulbound Exodus Authority Acquired]
A new icon—
Shaped like a glowing gateway—
Appeared beside his status panel.
Then:
[New System Tab Unlocked]
〈Exodus Gate: Summon List〉
Rudra's breath caught for a moment.
Names—
Familiar ones—
Began to appear.
Friends from his past world.
People he wanted beside him again.
The tab shimmered, waiting for his command.
The lake was silent.
"...."
Rudra's heart wasn't.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review!!! And power stone too!!!
Guys it will motivate me more?