…I defeated Kaiser.
He should've been eliminated.
Before I could even exhale—
Danger Sense screamed.
Ice darts tore through the air.
Mikhail.
I twisted sideways, the darts shaving past my cheek and detonating behind me in a burst of frost.
"Be still," I said, feet grinding into the floor. "Kaiser is done. You're eliminated."
"…Are you sure?"
Mikhail smirked, amusement sharp in his eyes.
"As much as I hate it," he continued, "that bastard isn't the type to fall like that."
Danger Sense flared again—stronger.
"…As expected, senpai."
A familiar voice echoed behind me.
Kaiser stood up.
Blood streamed down his face.
His breathing was steady.
His eyes—clear.
"…Is that your full power?"
What the—
I lowered the impact. That hit should've ended it.
How is he still standing?
"…My quirk is Optimization," Kaiser said calmly.
"I continuously grow as long as I survive getting hit."
My stomach dropped.
That's—
That's absurdly broken.
Before I could react—
He vanished.
For a split second, even my eyes lost him.
That instant was all Mikhail needed—he slid back, widening the distance.
Damn it.
I can't let this drag on.
If Kaiser keeps adapting, I lose.
If Mikhail supports him, I'm finished.
They attacked together.
Perfect coordination.
Kaiser's kick screamed toward my head—
Mikhail's punch tore in from the opposite side.
I caught them.
Left hand—Kaiser's leg.
Right hand—Mikhail's fist.
The impact rattled my bones.
With a roar, I twisted and threw them both away, their bodies skidding across the arena.
I exhaled sharply.
"I'm going… 70%," I muttered.
"I can't go higher… it's tearing me apart."
"As expected," Kaiser said, smiling.
"Senpai really is a monster."
"Izuku Midoriya…"
Mikhail cracked his neck.
"This is unexpected."
They walked toward me again.
Slow.
Confident.
"Says the real monster here," I replied, staring straight at Kaiser.
My vision swam.
My breath came heavy.
This is bad.
"Oii—Li Wei!" I shouted.
"Care to lend me a hand? I'm having a little trouble here!"
"Don't scream," she yawned.
"I'll give you a buff. Feel my qi."
"What the hell are you talking about—"
Then—
Something surged through me.
Not One For All.
Something else.
A foreign strength flooded my limbs, warm and invasive.
"Nana-san," I whispered.
"What's happening?"
"…I don't know," she replied.
"But that girl… she's definitely doing something with her quirk."
"…Now what are you gonna do, Izuku Midoriya?"
Mikhail sneered.
"Scared the little pest isn't helping you?"
"…Stop it," Kaiser snapped.
"We're the ones fighting underhanded."
"It doesn't matter," Mikhail laughed.
"I'm going to win."
Something snapped inside me.
Looking down on me?
Me?
After everything I broke—
After every bone—
After all that pain—
The watch on my wrist pulsed violently.
My heartbeat spiked.
"Izuku—what's happening?!" Nana shouted.
Kaiser's fist slammed into my face.
"Sorry, senpai," he said coldly.
"But this is it. I'll surpass you—here and now."
"…You're smiling?"
Kaiser hesitated.
I wiped the blood from my mouth.
Then—
I punched him.
He flew back several meters, smashing into the ground.
"…What did you say, you son of a bitch?" I growled.
"Izuku!" Nana cried.
"Shut it, hag."
My hair lifted as I ran a hand through it, a grin stretching unnaturally wide.
"You think you're gonna surpass me?"
"Bring that bastard over here."
"I'll show you why Japan produced the strongest hero in the world—All Might."
When is a hero most dangerous?
Not when calm.
Not when righteous.
But when they lose their sanity—
And keep fighting anyway.
Some heroes enter this state through sheer spite.
Like Endeavour...All might...and many others
And now—
Izuku Midoriya.
It isn't recommended.
You lose yourself.
But almost no one loses in this state.
They rushed me.
I moved.
One leg snapped out—Kaiser crashed down.
The other followed—Mikhail slammed beside him.
"What?" I laughed.
"Not so funny now?"
I punched Mikhail, driving him into the floor.
Kaiser charged again.
I grabbed Mikhail—
Used him as a shield.
"Senpai—what's wrong with you?!" Kaiser shouted.
"I can't let cheeky juniors get ahead of themselves, can I?"
I kicked Kaiser away.
Full Cowl — 90%.
My bones screamed.
Cracked.
But I kept moving.
"St. Louis Smash!"
My kick launched Mikhail across the arena.
"Izuku—stop! You'll kill him!"
"IZUKU—STOP!"
"It's over, Kaiser."
"Detroit Smash!"
One punch.
Two.
Three.
Then a final kick.
Silence.
Kaiser lay broken—multiple fractures, unconscious.
Even optimization had limits.
Mikhail wasn't moving either.
"…What did you do to me?" I asked weakly.
"I did nothing," Li Wei replied.
"I just gave you a boost for a few minutes. You did the rest—by breaking your own body."
"…What?"
"Seems you still don't understand your state, Izuku Midoriya," she said calmly.
"Ask your greatest hero. He might know."
The results flashed.
We passed.
The moment they did—
My body gave out.
"…You did good," she said softly.
"Now sleep."
As everything went dark, she handed me over to the Japan team.
---
Kaiser POV
Kaiser regained consciousness first.
A white ceiling.
Harsh lights.
The steady, mechanical beep of a heart monitor.
He tried to move—
Pain exploded through his body.
"…So this is the limit," he thought calmly.
Every fracture was already mapped in his mind.
His quirk was still running—still optimizing—
But it had nothing left to work with.
No variables.
No counters.
Just loss.
He remembered Izuku Midoriya's final charge.
Not skill.
Not power.
Intent.
He didn't adapt to me, Kaiser realized.
He decided I wasn't allowed to exist in front of him.
For the first time since awakening his quirk, Kaiser felt it—
Fear.
Not of being surpassed.
But of ever facing that monster again.
---
Mikhail POV
Mikhail woke up screaming.
He lashed out instinctively, ice forming along his arms before suppressors kicked in.
"GET HIM AWAY—!"
Medics pinned him down, voices calm but firm.
"You're safe."
"You're in recovery."
"Breathe."
His chest heaved.
The arena flashed behind his eyes.
That smile.
That laugh.
That moment when he realized—
He could've died.
"…He stopped," Mikhail whispered hoarsely.
"…He actually stopped."
No one replied.
Because none of them could say why.
---
MEDICAL REPORT — CONFIDENTIAL
Patient: Midoriya, Izuku
Affiliation: Japan Team
Status: CRITICAL / STABLE (Post-Intervention)
Summary:
Patient exhibited extreme quirk overexertion combined with psychological dissociation during combat engagement.
Physical Condition:
Multiple compound fractures (arms, ribs, legs)
Severe muscular fiber rupture
Nervous system overstimulation
Cardiovascular instability (temporary cardiac arrest recorded)
Quirk Analysis:
Output exceeded documented safe thresholds
No external enhancer detected
Unknown secondary influence suspected (short duration)
Psychological Notes:
Patient entered a high-risk combat trance
Pain suppression far beyond normal limits
Subject continued combat despite lethal self-damage
Comparative Notes:
Opponent Kaiser: extensive skeletal trauma, quirk-induced strain
Opponent Mikhail Volkov: blunt trauma, shock response, acute psychological stress
Assessment:
> Subject voluntarily restrained himself.
Had combat continued for an additional 10–15 seconds, fatality—multiple—was likely.
Recommendation:
Immediate isolation and monitoring
Psychological evaluation mandatory
Further combat participation NOT ADVISED
---
Outside the room, a senior medic lowered the tablet slowly.
"…This kid…" he murmured.
Another stared through the glass at Izuku Midoriya's motionless form.
"…Who the hell is he?"