Chapter 101 - New Era

There was a moment of hesitation, of general dazedness, of unequivocal surprise.

Then my Sharingan, spinning lazily in my eyes, caught the slightest movement of Gigantomachia's muscles and predicted his course of action.

I spun on my heels, grabbed my father and threw myself aside with him.

The next thing I knew, the monster's foot imprinted itself on the spot where we'd just stood.

Gigantomachia jumped up with All for One in its mouth and turned back toward the city, probably heading for the mountains.

Bubbles of blood and charred skin fell from his body in waves, and I wondered how he could keep going.

All Might, one hand on his hip, stood up after he passed, his left foot slightly off the ground.

He rested it on the ground, hiding his pain, his eyes following the monster.

- We have to stop it.

My father let go of my grip and rose to his feet, and I followed.

Gigantomachia looked completely confused, jumping left and then right, his huge eyes darting back and forth as he searched for the best way to escape, casting suspicious glances over his shoulder at us.

Either way, he'd have to go through town.

- You can stop him, can't you?

I met my father's gaze and my Sharingan automatically deactivated.

- I don't have enough-

- Do it

I flinched, surprised by his cold tone, his distant air, his angry gaze.

I felt All Might's eyes dart between my father and I as we stared at each other.

I looked away first.

- As you wish.

My throat tightened and I felt pathetic, and I hated myself for feeling pathetic.

- All Might

The other showed full attention.

- We'll go over there.

He pointed with his chin to the western part of the city, to the mountains the monster had passed through.

- We have to make it take the same route it took on the way in, to limit the damage.

The hero nodded.

- I was thinking the same thing. Alright. (Then he turned to me) Shoto-shonen, do you really think you can redirect Gigantomachia all the way there?

I looked at my father, but he didn't look at me, his eyes were already on the battle ahead.

- If you don't feel-

- I can do it.

My meager chakra reserves protested, as did my nearly empty Quirk tanks.

I'd slaughtered half of the Villain League, dismembered and severely weakened All for One, slaughtered over thirty of his henchmen, blown up All for One's base, prevented Gigantomachia from smashing my father and All Might, but I still needed more.

I smile, disillusioned.

Even at my age, after a decade of hard work, I still felt weak, inadequate - like a child.

Even after all these years, all this sweat and blood, I wasn't enough.

When the day come for me to be, will it be too late ?

My eyes returned to my father, who wasn't looking at me.

I lifted my eyes to the sky, to the helicopter circling above us, the camera focused on our three silhouettes.

Finally, the hot air became saturated, and suddenly a thunderstorm broke out.

The cool drops fell on my skin like the beginning of a lull in the weather.

Underneath my skin my chakra crackled, ready to pour into the puddle that was my Quirks whenever I wished.

Just a little more. Just a little bit more.

My bandages were soaked with blood, my fingertips unnaturally white.

The cameraman in the helicopter lowered his lens, and I was suddenly sure the camera was on me.

Maybe it's time.

Gigantomachia roared under the pain of his burning wounds cooled by the rain.

My sharingan came back to life in my eyes, visible to the whole world.

One shunshin and I was gone.

*

It was a surreal experience for 1-A.

Gathered in Kirishima's hospital room, eyes glued to the screen, no one was able to make the slightest sound.

- All Might and Endeavor are already on the scene, ladies and gentlemen, the host continued. I'd like to ask all Tokyo residents watching this to remain calm and-

She turned to the screen projected behind her, inhaled sharply in disbelief, her mouth half open in an exclamation of surprise that died in her throat.

Projected large, right next to her face, were Endeavor, All Might, and Shoto Todoroki, the kidnapped teenager and son of Number 2.

The camera zoomed in on the latter, and his heterochromatic eyes turned completely red, with three black pupil-like dots slowly rotating in each.

A second later, the boy was completely gone.

The video zoomed out, the frame shaking, as the cameraman scanned the entire area as best he could, moving from All Might to Endeavor and then on to the rest of the dilapidated, perforated square, streaked with fissures and veins of lava of an eerie dark red.

However, he was unable to find any trace of the previously abducted teenager.

The video returned to All Might and Endeavor, who, unperturbed, observed where the boy had been moments before.

All Might looked at Endeavor, who stared into space for a few more seconds.

Then his lips moved, too soft for anyone to decipher what he had just said.

Drizzle turned to rain, black clouds gathered in the sky as if summoned.

Thunder rumbled, and a flash of yellow lightning streaked across the sky, moving from cloud to cloud.

Out of habit, the cameraman captured the yellow light, then turned his attention back to the Heroes, who had disappeared.

He frantically searched for them, then captured their image as they flew side by side across the sky, Endeavor haloed in red light and All Might streaked in yellow.

Just then, an explosion rang out to the right.

Another roar from the bipedal monster shook the entire city.

The giant, on the edge of the abandoned industrial zone and the low-income housing projects under construction, stopped for a moment, as if struck by an invisible wall.

The sky rumbled, and a bolt of lightning, larger and more powerful than the others, fell from it directly on the villain.

The shock caused him to let out a terrible cry as he snarled and changed direction.

Every time he veered a little too far to the right, ready to enter the city, another bolt of lightning fell from the sky to knock him off course.

The camera zoomed in on a shadow, blurred and indistinct, that crossed the buildings parallel to the villain.

The video tried to capture its image, but failed for the shadow moved too quickly. The camera gained several meters on it and activated slow-motion mode.

Like a flash, Shoto Todoroki, his limbs blurred, entered the frame.

His raised hand was suddenly lowered, and at the same moment, another bolt of lightning fell from the sky, tearing through the dark night.

The cameraman zoomed in on the villain, puffs of grayish smoke rising from him, his skin, bloodied and upturned like a battlefield, covered in blackish blood.

The cameraman could already hear his boss's voice telling him that this was an all-public channel, and he zoomed back in on Shoto Todoroki.

At that moment the teenager, his hair sticking to his face, suddenly lifted his bloody eyes to the camera and looked into the lens as if he could see the cameraman and all the others hiding behind their screens.

And then he disappeared in a blur, so fast that the cameraman couldn't even catch his shadow.

A barrage of lightning continued to fall from the sky, exploding on the villain or just outside a place where he was "forbidden" to go.

The monster avoided populated areas, walked through an empty park, stepped on the playground, and left his footprint in a sandbox, continuing to run, harassed by the thunder falling on him.

Then, suddenly, the lightning stopped.

The monster slowed down, looked around suspiciously, then tried to cut through the town.

Then two curtains of lava rose on either side of the giant.

They were taller than the beast and as thick as a tree trunk.

The monster turned slowly, trying to turn back, but then another curtain of lava rose, blocking its only escape route.

All that remained was a narrow tunnel that would take him back the way he'd come.

The monster, cornered and staring wildly around, bent his legs and prepared to jump.

Just as his feet left the ground, a bolt of lightning, larger and more powerful than the others, fell from the sky and sent him crashing back to the ground.

The impact of his body on the ground sent tremors through the city, and the lava curtain shook, sending lava droplets flying everywhere.

Stunned, the monster staggered back to his feet before racing full speed through the lava tunnel.

As soon as he passed a block, the curtain of lava following him retreated into the earth, and a new burning wall sprang up on either side of his body to guide him.

The camera zoomed out to show viewers the hundred or so yards along the villain's covered path, surrounded by walls of lava.

That's when they spotted a hole in the burning creation and a shadow passing from the villain's oncoming path to the untouched streets.

The camera zoomed in and everyone saw All Might evacuate the wounded in front of the vilain at lightning speed.

The camera returned to the villain, then panned back to All Might.

The hero tossed aside a piece of collapsed wall, then grabbed a woman and her two children trapped under the rubble, their screams and cries audible even without sound.

He rushed outside, dumped them there, then returned through the hole and up the road to the next victims.

Behind him, the villain continued to accelerate, reducing the hundred yards separating them in a mere second.

All Might continued to rescue civilians, leaving none behind, occasionally glancing over his shoulder.

The villain noticed his presence and threw his head back, howling at the sky like a wolf at full moon.

The water continued to plow into his skin, his blood forming a black furrow in its path.

All Might raised his head, grim-faced, and continued his rescue work.

A bus had been turned on its side, a dozen people pounding their fists on the windows in terror, their lips moving incessantly, their wide eyes riveted to All Might.

The hero looked behind him, where the villain was coming like a catapult - 50 meters, 30, 10 - then back at the civilians.

He hesitated, then finally anchored himself in the middle of the street, legs planted firmly in the ground, shoulders straight, and took a deep breath.

The faint golden halo that always accompanied him rekindled around his body as his muscles grew larger and denser.

All Might braced himself for the impact, his gaze hard as iron, hiding his fear of collapsing before the world behind his usual mask of courage.

He would soon run out of time.

All Might tensed his muscles, clenched his jaw and raised his fist, his eyes riveted on Gigantomachia, his mouth bloody and drooling, ready to strike right in the face where his pseudo-shell had shattered and-

As he struck, a wall of lava rose in front of him.

Gigantomachia braked, his brain remembering the pain of his melted skin falling in blocks around him.

All Might managed to slow his momentum enough that he barely grazed the curtain of lava, his hair scorching under the heat.

But the pressure of his power created a gust of wind that slammed straight into the lava, tearing a hole in the wall and sending much of it flying over to Gigantomachia.

The villain howled, felt the skin of his cheeks melt from his bones, and turned sharply to the left.

He destroyed two city blocks, snorting acid from his face and rearing up like a mad bull at a bullfight.

Then new curtains of lava rose around him, blocking three out of four streets and forcing him to take a detour.

He crossed a school, destroyed a sports field, then the lava curtain looped around and forced him to return to the main road he'd already destroyed, which a hundred lesser heroes were trying to finish evacuating.

Lava bridges formed over the wounded that couldn't be cleared quickly enough, forcing the injured villain to jump over them.

All Might, never far behind, used the power of his fists to redirect some lava walls, swinging the villain away from civilians that Endeavor might have missed.

The entire country stood mute and breathless until the villain was completely driven out of the city.

Seeing the lava walls fall away completely, the villain quickened his pace and sped away as fast as he could.

All Might stopped on the roof of a building, watching the villain's receding form.

Endeavor landed softly at All Might's side, Hell Flame cut off, his translucent, bluish skin projecting an eerie light around him.

They exchanged a glance and a few quiet words, then turned toward the mountains, where the villain disappeared.

All Might put his hand on Endeavor's shoulder, and Endeavor let him.

Far ahead, on the horizon, the sun was just rising, casting yellow and red reflections across the sky and illuminating the two men as if they were made of light.

Shouts of joy and cheers for the two Heroes echoed across the country.