Chapter 20: The Villains' Invasion
For a heartbeat, the students of Class 1-A were frozen, their minds struggling to reconcile the cheerful lesson on rescue with the terrifying reality unfolding before them. The air in the massive dome grew heavy, charged with a sudden, malevolent energy. The figures that had emerged from the swirling purple mist were not actors in a simulation; their posture, their predatory gazes, the very aura of menace that rolled off them in waves was chillingly authentic.
"Whoa, cool!" Kirishima said, his eyes wide as he took a step forward. "They even have fake villains to make it more realistic! U.A. really thinks of everything!"
"STAY BACK!" Aizawa's voice cut through the air like a whip, sharp and commanding. The usual exhaustion in his tone was gone, replaced by a cold, deadly seriousness that seized the students' attention instantly. "This is not a drill."
His capture weapon, the long grey scarf wrapped around his neck, began to unfurl, and his yellow goggles slid down over his eyes. "Thirteen, protect the students. Get them out of here."
From the center of the villainous horde, the man with the hand on his face, Tomura Shigaraki, let out a dry, scratchy laugh. He took a slow, deliberate step forward, his movements jerky and unsettling. "So where is he?" he rasped, his voice filled with a petulant disappointment. "We went through all this trouble, brought the whole gang… and All Might, the Symbol of Peace, isn't even here to welcome us."
Beside him, the towering figure made of purple mist, Kurogiri, spoke in a voice that was eerily polite. "Perhaps he will show up if we kill a few of his precious students."
That was all Aizawa needed to hear. He didn't hesitate. He didn't wait for a plan. He simply leaped from the top of the long staircase, a dark phantom descending upon the hundred-strong army of villains below.
"He's going in alone?!" Midoriya gasped in horror. "There are too many of them!"
"He is a Pro," Todoroki stated calmly from the back, his voice the only one not laced with panic. "He has a strategy."
Lee watched, his entire being focused on the lone teacher. He had never seen combat like this. It wasn't a duel or a brawl; it was a masterclass in efficiency. Aizawa landed in the midst of three villains, their Quirks activating—one shot lasers from his fingers, another had rock-like skin, and a third had multiple arms. Before any of them could attack, Aizawa's eyes glowed a menacing red, his long black hair floating around his head. Instantly, the laser villain's fingers sputtered and died. The rock-skin villain's texture softened. The multi-armed villain's extra limbs went limp.
Their greatest advantages had been erased.
Aizawa moved like a dancer of death. His capture weapon shot out, binding the three of them together. He used their own momentum to swing them like a flail, crashing them into another group of villains. He was a whirlwind of calculated violence, his movements devoid of any wasted energy. He erased a Quirk, closed the distance, and neutralized the target with a precise jab or a disabling joint lock before moving to the next.
From the top of the stairs, Lee was mesmerized. It was beautiful. It was terrifying. It was logical. He isn't overpowering them, Lee thought, his mind racing, dissecting every move. He is dismantling them. He identifies the greatest threat, negates their strength, and then defeats them with pure skill. He is fighting a hundred battles at once by ensuring none of them are fought on his enemies' terms. This… this is the art of a true warrior. It was a philosophy Sora would have deeply respected.
As the students began to run for the exit, their path was suddenly blocked. The purple mist of Kurogiri materialized before them, forming a massive, impassable wall.
"I am afraid I cannot allow you to leave," Kurogiri said, his two glowing yellow eyes fixed on them from within the fog. "My name is Kurogiri, and we are the League of Villains. Our purpose today is a simple one: to end the life of All Might. You students are merely… an obstacle to be scattered and disposed of."
Thirteen stepped forward, her arm raised. "Get back! My Quirk, Black Hole, can turn you to dust, but it will do the same to anyone caught in its pull!"
Before she could act, two figures shot past her. "YOU'LL HAVE TO GET THROUGH US FIRST, YOU FOGGY BASTARD!" Bakugo roared, unleashing a massive explosion right in the center of Kurogiri's form. Simultaneously, Kirishima, fully hardened, charged in with a powerful punch.
"Did you get him?!"
The smoke cleared. Kurogiri was completely unharmed. "That was a close one," he said calmly, though the sarcasm was thick. "But as you can see, attacking me is rather pointless. Now for my role."
The purple mist exploded outwards, enveloping the entire group of students in a swirling, disorienting dome of darkness. Panic erupted.
"I can't see anything!"
"What's going on?!"
The world for Rock Lee dissolved into a spinning vortex. He felt a sensation of weightlessness as the floor vanished from beneath his feet. The shouts of his classmates, once so clear, became distorted echoes that faded into the roaring wind of the warp. He tried to orient himself, to find a point of balance in the chaos, but it was impossible. He saw Mina Ashido vanish into one part of the fog, Bakugo into another. He was alone in the swirling abyss.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, it ended.
His feet hit solid ground, but it wasn't the smooth plaza floor. It was a steep, treacherous incline of loose rock and dust. His body, conditioned by years of brutal training, reacted instantly. He bent his knees, absorbed the impact, and pushed himself upright, his head swiveling as he scanned his new, hostile surroundings.
He was in a canyon-like area, with jagged cliffs rising on all sides. The air was dry and dusty. It was the Landslide Zone.
He wasn't alone. A few meters away, Shoto Todoroki stood, brushing a layer of dust from the shoulder of his stark white hero costume. His heterochromatic eyes swept over the area, his expression one of cold, calculating annoyance. It seemed he was more irritated by the inconvenience than frightened by the danger.
They had no time to speak, no time to formulate a plan. From the shadows of the cliffs above, and from behind the large boulders below, figures began to emerge. One by one, then in groups of three and five. They were villains, armed with crude pipes, knives, and their own grotesque Quirks. Their grins were wide and cruel, seeing two students, isolated and seemingly easy prey.
Within seconds, Lee and Todoroki were surrounded. At least two dozen villains closed in, cutting off all avenues of escape. The trap was set. The hunt was about to begin.