Chapter 20: Monster vs. Dragon Boy.
The central plaza was silent, save for the sound of sizzling flesh.
Natsu Dragneel stood over the broken body of Eraser Head, his hand gripping the massive, rock-hard wrist of the Nomu. Steam hissed from between his fingers where his heat met the creature's black skin.
Tomura Shigaraki tilted his head to the side, observing the scene with a cold, analytical curiosity.
"Oh?" Shigaraki scratched his neck slowly. "A student stopped him? In terms of raw physical specs, the Nomu is on par with All Might. For a child to halt that fist... that is an interesting bug."
He lowered his hand.
"Nomu. Crush him."
The creature didn't roar. It didn't signal its intent. It simply moved.
With a speed that defied its hulking size, the Nomu wrenched its arm back. The force was so violent it lifted Natsu off his feet, dragging him into the air. Before Natsu could regain his balance, the Nomu's other fist—a piston of black muscle—fired forward.
WOOSH.
Natsu's combat instincts screamed. He twisted his body in mid-air, barely avoiding a direct hit to the heart. The punch grazed his side, the wind pressure alone sending him skidding across the pavement.
Natsu dug his heels into the ground, carving two trenches in the concrete before coming to a stop. He wiped a streak of soot from his face and grinned. It was a wild, adrenaline-fueled grin.
"You're strong..." Natsu admitted, smoke puffing from the corners of his mouth. "But I've fought monsters bigger than you!"
Natsu lunged.
He was a blur of pink and orange. He ducked under a massive swing that would have decapitated him, moving with the agility of a wild beast.
"Fire Dragon's... WING ATTACK!!"
Natsu leaped, his arms wreathed in long streams of fire resembling wings. He slammed them against the Nomu's chest, pushing the beast back a few inches.
He didn't stop. He landed, pivoted, and unleashed a flurry of blows.
"ORA! ORA! ORA!"
Natsu's fists, coated in intense flames, hammered against the Nomu's abdomen and ribs. Each hit sounded like a cannon firing. The heat was intense enough to melt the asphalt beneath their feet, turning the battlefield into a scorching oven.
"He... He's actually fighting it!" Mineta whimpered, clutching his head in disbelief.
"Ribbit," Tsuyu watched intensely, her eyes narrowed. "But... look closely."
Despite the barrage of fire and iron-hard punches, the Nomu's expression hadn't changed. Its exposed brain pulsed rhythmically. It wasn't blocking. It wasn't dodging. It was taking every hit.
Natsu realized it too. My punches... they feel like hitting a mattress. The impact isn't going through!
"Move aside!"
Natsu leaped into the air, spinning rapidly. He channeled all his momentum into his right fist, hardening his skin to the density of steel.
"FIRE DRAGON'S... IRON FIST!!"
BAM!
The punch connected squarely with the Nomu's face. A shockwave of fire exploded outward, blowing Shigaraki's messy hair back.
Natsu landed, breathing heavily, sweat dripping from his chin.
The smoke cleared. The Nomu stood there. It didn't even flinch.
"That's it?" Shigaraki sounded bored.
In that split second of Natsu's shock, the Nomu moved.
It stepped inside Natsu's guard. Its massive hands grabbed Natsu's head and shoulder, locking him in place like a vice.
"Natsu!" Kirishima screamed from the edge of the plaza.
The Nomu raised its knee.
It wasn't a technique. It was pure, unadulterated violence.
CRUNCH.
The sound was sickening. It was the wet, sharp sound of ribs snapping like dry twigs. It echoed loudly through the silent USJ.
"Gah—!!"
Natsu's eyes went white. All the air was forced out of his lungs, replaced by a torrent of blood.
He coughed, and a spray of crimson splattered onto the Nomu's black chest and the grey pavement. His legs gave out. Natsu collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest, gasping for air that wouldn't come.
"NATSU!!" Happy screamed from the mountain zone, his voice breaking.
Natsu retched, spitting out more blood. His vision blurred. The pain was blinding, a hot iron spike driven through his side.
"You bastard... DIE!!"
A figure exploded from the side. Katsuki Bakugo, seeing his rival and classmate beaten down, launched himself with zero hesitation.
"STUN GRENADE!!"
Bakugo unleashed a blinding flash of light and sound right in the Nomu's eyes, trying to disorient the beast to save Natsu.
"Let him go!!" Bakugo roared, swinging his other arm for a lethal explosion.
But the Nomu had no need for sight. It sensed the movement. Without even turning its head, the Nomu swung its arm in a backhand motion.
WHACK.
It swatted Bakugo as casually as a human swats a fly.
The force of the blow sent Bakugo flying across the plaza. He smashed into the concrete wall of the fountain with a bone-jarring thud, cracked the stonework, and slid down.
He didn't get up.
Silence.
Heavy, suffocating silence descended on the plaza.
The only sound was the gentle splashing of water from the broken fountain. It echoed like a mocking metronome counting down their final seconds.
One second passed. Then two. Then three.
Mineta's hands were clamped over his mouth, his eyes bulging as he looked at the scene.
The class's strongest fighter, Natsu—broken and bleeding on the floor.
The class's fiercest rival, Bakugo—swatted away like an insect.
The teacher, Aizawa—mangled and unconscious.
The pillars of hope had been shattered in less than a minute.
Natsu struggled to lift his head, choking on a cough, but fell back down.
"This is the reality," Shigaraki spread his arms, a maniacal smile hidden beneath the hand on his face. "The game is over. No one is coming to save you."
The Nomu raised its fist high above the kneeling Natsu, ready to deliver the finishing blow that would crush the Dragon Slayer's skull.
Midoriya Izuku watched. The world seemed to turn grey.
His analysis, his strategy—it all crumbled. He saw Natsu's blood pooling on the ground. He saw the monster's shadow falling over his friend.
If I don't move... everyone dies right now.
"NOOOOOOO!!"
Midoriya's legs moved on their own. He sprinted. The One For All lightning crackled around his body. He didn't aim for the Nomu. He knew he couldn't beat it physically.
He aimed for the leader.
"Smash him..." Midoriya screamed in his mind, tears streaming from his eyes. Even if my arm breaks... Even if I die!
Midoriya leaped over Natsu's prone form. He pulled his arm back, channeling 100% of his power.
"SMAAAAAAAAASH!!"
He punched Shigaraki.
Or rather, he tried to.
In the blink of an eye, the Nomu abandoned Natsu. It moved faster than sound, interposing itself between Midoriya and Shigaraki.
Midoriya's fist collided with the Nomu's gut.
BOOOOM!
A massive gale of wind exploded outward, cracking the floor and sending debris flying. The shockwave blew the water out of the fountain.
As the dust settled, Midoriya hung in the air, his fist still pressed against the Nomu's stomach.
The Nomu hadn't moved an inch.
Midoriya looked at his own arm. He blinked, confused. My arm... it's not broken? Why? I used 100%...
"That was a good move... for a child," Shigaraki's voice came from behind the Nomu, dripping with mockery.
Shigaraki peered around the monster's massive bulk.
"'Smash'..." Shigaraki chuckled darkly. "Are you an All Might fanboy?"
Midoriya went pale. The realization hit him colder than ice.
"It didn't work because of Shock Absorption," Shigaraki explained, as if reading a tutorial for a game. "To hurt the Nomu, you'd need to gouge out his flesh slowly. Blunt force is useless."
The Nomu's hand shot out. It grabbed Midoriya's arm—the same arm that had just punched it.
"And now... you're caught."
The monster squeezed. Midoriya screamed as he felt the pressure threatening to crush his bone. The Nomu raised its other fist to pummel him.
"Midoriya-chan!" Tsuyu cried out, extending her tongue in a desperate attempt to help.
It was hopeless. The end was here.
But then.
A low, wet, growling sound came from the ground.
"We..."
The Nomu paused.
Natsu Dragneel was standing up.
He was swaying. Blood was dripping from his mouth, staining his white scarf crimson. He was holding his side where his ribs were shattered. Every breath was a jagged agony.
But the fire... the fire around him hadn't gone out. It had turned darker. A deep, angry crimson.
"We aren't..." Natsu gasped, grabbing the Nomu's waist from behind with trembling, bloodied hands. "...done yet!!"
"Let... him... GO!" Natsu roared, trying to lift the beast, trying to burn it, trying to do anything with the last dregs of his consciousness.
Shigaraki scratched his neck, annoyed. "Persistent trash. Nomu, kill the redhead first, then the green o—"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The massive metal doors at the entrance of the USJ were blasted off their hinges.
Smoke billowed into the facility. The ground shook violently, stopping everyone in their tracks. Even the Nomu turned its head.
Through the clearing smoke, a figure stood.
He was not wearing his signature smile. There was no joy on his face. There was only a cold, furious shadow cast over his eyes.
A deep, angry voice, stripped of all its usual theatricality, echoed through the dome.
"Do not fear..."
All Might stepped into the ruin, his blue eyes glowing with suppressed rage as he took in the sight of his broken students and his bloody colleague.
"...For I am here."
.
.