The moment the U.A. students retreated deeper into Kurogane Atoll, the atmosphere across the battlefield changed completely.
Raizen felt it immediately.
The pressure surrounding Izuku Midoriya no longer resembled that of a hero preparing for battle.
It felt colder.
Sharper.
More dangerous.
Green lightning crawled violently across the shattered terrain while fragments of steel and debris slowly lifted into the air from the force radiating around One For All.
Raizen smiled.
"At last," he said quietly. "The real monster arrives."
Izuku did not answer.
His focus remained entirely fixed on the enemy before him.
Behind him, the students continued retreating deeper into the island alongside pro heroes and support squads. Several of them looked back repeatedly despite orders to move forward.
Bakugo especially.
He knew Izuku too well.
Something about him felt wrong.
Not unstable.
Not frightened.
Empty.
Like the emotional exhaustion from the last month had hollowed something out inside him.
Raizen slowly cracked his neck.
"Do you know what Master Garaki said about you?"
Izuku remained silent.
"He said you were the closest thing humanity has ever produced to perfection."
Raizen's smile widened slightly.
"But perfection can still break."
The battlefield exploded.
Raizen moved first.
The ground beneath him collapsed from sheer acceleration while shockwaves ripped across the island. Izuku reacted instantly, raising his arm just before Raizen's fist collided with him.
The impact split the surrounding cliffs apart.
Izuku was launched backward through multiple steel structures before regaining control midair. Blackwhip erupted behind him, anchoring itself against the terrain to stop his momentum.
Raizen appeared again immediately.
Too fast.
Far faster than before.
His fist slammed into Izuku's ribs hard enough to distort the air itself.
Something cracked.
Pain exploded through Izuku's body.
Raizen followed with another strike.
Then another.
Then another.
Every attack carried enough force to level entire city blocks.
Izuku countered with Detroit Smash at full power.
Raizen blocked it with one arm.
The collision illuminated the storm clouds above Kurogane Atoll.
But Raizen did not move.
His expression shifted slightly.
"Your strength is dropping."
Izuku's eyes narrowed.
Raizen was right.
His body still had not fully recovered from Shibuya.
The injuries Virex inflicted during their fight had never truly healed. He had simply forced himself to continue moving afterward.
And now it was catching up to him.
Raizen attacked again.
This time Izuku activated Gearshift instantly, accelerating beyond normal perception before counterattacking with Fa Jin-enhanced force directly into Raizen's chest.
The impact finally pushed Raizen backward.
But only slightly.
Raizen laughed softly.
"You really are exhausted."
Black energy erupted from his body.
The pressure multiplied instantly.
Several nearby mountains cracked apart beneath the force alone.
Izuku felt danger surge through every instinct he possessed.
Then Raizen vanished.
A split second later, agony exploded across Izuku's back.
Blood scattered through the air.
Raizen's arm had pierced clean through him.
Gasps erupted across battlefield comms.
Even Bakugo froze for a moment.
"Izuku!"
Raizen twisted his arm violently before throwing Izuku through layers of reinforced bunkers.
The island shook from the impact.
Dust spread across the battlefield while smoke rose from the massive crater Izuku's body created.
Raizen descended slowly toward it.
"You know what separates us?" he asked calmly. "You heroes still fight to protect individuals. Garaki abandoned individuality long ago."
No response came from the crater.
Raizen continued walking forward.
"He understands evolution requires sacrifice."
Still nothing.
Then green lightning flickered weakly beneath the debris.
Izuku slowly stood.
Blood covered his body.
His breathing was uneven.
One arm hung lower than the other.
Raizen tilted his head slightly.
"And yet you continue standing."
Izuku wiped blood from his mouth.
"I don't have the luxury of staying down."
Raizen smiled.
"Good answer."
Then the fight became brutal.
Not cinematic.
Not elegant.
Brutal.
Raizen attacked like a biological weapon engineered only for destruction. Every strike carried overwhelming force while his body adapted continuously during combat.
Izuku fought back desperately.
Blackwhip restrained.
Smokescreen concealed movement.
Danger Sense predicted lethal attacks milliseconds before impact.
But it was not enough.
Raizen adapted to everything.
Gearshift lost effectiveness after repeated use.
Fa Jin openings disappeared.
Even Blackwhip became predictable.
Garaki had created a nightmare specifically designed to overcome stronger opponents through adaptation.
And slowly—
Izuku began losing.
Again.
Raizen's kick shattered Izuku's shoulder.
Another strike crushed him through underground tunnels.
One punch nearly knocked him unconscious.
Blood covered the battlefield.
His vision blurred repeatedly.
Far away, Bakugo watched through a damaged surveillance feed while fighting alongside the others deeper inside the island.
His expression darkened.
"He's getting overwhelmed…"
Toru looked terrified.
"No… Midoriya…"
Back on the surface, Raizen grabbed Izuku by the throat before slamming him repeatedly into broken steel structures hard enough to collapse them completely.
"You're weaker than I expected," Raizen admitted quietly.
Izuku coughed blood.
Raizen lifted him higher.
"Maybe Master Garaki overestimated you."
Then he drove Izuku directly into the ground.
The impact created a crater hundreds of meters wide.
Silence followed.
Rain began falling across Kurogane Atoll.
Raizen stood over the crater calmly.
"Stand up."
No movement came.
"Stand up, Izuku Midoriya."
Still nothing.
Raizen sighed softly.
"How disappointing."
Then—
something changed.
The rain stopped touching the crater.
Tiny droplets hovered motionless in the air.
Raizen's smile disappeared.
A strange pressure spread outward slowly from beneath the destroyed battlefield.
Cold.
Ancient.
Wrong.
Even Raizen instinctively stepped backward.
Green lightning flickered again.
But this time—
it looked different.
Darker.
Wild.
The debris inside the crater slowly rose into the air.
Then Izuku stood.
His head remained lowered.
Rain hovered motionlessly around him.
Black and green energy spiraled violently across his body while unfamiliar markings spread faintly across his skin.
Raizen frowned.
"What… is this?"
No answer came.
Izuku slowly lifted his head.
His eyes glowed.
Not with One For All.
Something else.
Something deeper.
Raizen suddenly felt danger for the first time since his creation.
Izuku disappeared.
Raizen barely reacted in time before a punch slammed into his face hard enough to distort the atmosphere itself.
The impact launched him across the island.
Mountains exploded apart behind him.
Raizen crashed through kilometers of terrain before regaining balance.
Shock crossed his expression.
Impossible.
That level of power—
Izuku appeared again instantly.
No hesitation.
No wasted movement.
Only violence.
Every strike shattered the environment around them.
Raizen tried adapting.
Tried analyzing.
Tried predicting.
Nothing worked.
Izuku moved beyond comprehension itself.
Raizen blocked one attack—
his arm shattered instantly.
For the first time in the entire battle—
fear appeared in his eyes.
"What are you?!"
Izuku finally spoke.
His voice sounded layered.
Distorted.
"I don't know."
Then he punched through Raizen's chest.
The battlefield froze.
Raizen stared downward silently at the massive hole through his body.
His regeneration activated immediately—
and stopped.
The unknown energy spreading through him was destroying his cellular structure faster than it could heal.
"No…"
Izuku grabbed his face.
And slammed him into the island hard enough to split Kurogane Atoll itself.
The ocean surged violently around the collapsing landmass.
Raizen screamed for the first time.
Izuku attacked again.
Again.
Again.
Each strike carried catastrophic force.
There was no strategy anymore.
No restraint.
Only overwhelming destruction.
Raizen's body finally began breaking apart completely.
His adaptation failed.
His regeneration failed.
Everything failed.
And deep underground—
someone smiled.
Reiji Garaki observed the battle through countless surveillance feeds while black fluid moved across laboratory walls around him.
"So it awakened again," he whispered.
Above, Raizen collapsed onto the destroyed battlefield.
Half his body had disintegrated completely.
His breathing became ragged.
Izuku slowly walked toward him through rain and smoke.
Still surrounded by that horrifying unknown power.
Raizen stared upward weakly.
"What… are you…"
Izuku stopped before him silently.
Then a new voice echoed across the battlefield.
"You truly don't remember, do you?"
Everything froze.
The temperature dropped instantly.
Izuku turned slowly.
Standing behind him was a figure wrapped in shifting darkness.
Silver eyes glowed beneath black robes.
Calm.
Silent.
Terrifying.
Kurotsuki.
And for the first time since Shibuya—
Izuku felt genuine fear crawl down his spine.