Chapter 20: The Yellow Flash and The Quiet Warning.
The atmosphere in the USJ shifted instantly. The air, previously thick with the stench of fear and damp concrete, was now charged with an overwhelming, static pressure. It was no longer a slaughterhouse; it was a battlefield of Titans.
All Might stood at the entrance. He wasn't smiling. There were no teeth flashing in a reassuring grin. His eyes, usually hidden in shadow, burned with furious blue flames. He ripped his tie off in one fluid motion, the fabric tearing like paper.
"I am here," he repeated. His voice wasn't loud; it was low, vibrating through the floorboards like an approaching earthquake. "And I am furious."
Shigaraki Tomura scratched his neck, a twisted, ecstatic smile forming behind the hand mask. "We've been waiting for you, Hero. You're the main quest."
All Might didn't waste breath on banter. He moved.
It wasn't movement that the human eye—even Kuma's enhanced vision—could track. It was a teleportation of sheer, unadulterated speed.
ZWOOSH.
Kuma blinked. It was a reflex that took less than a tenth of a second.
In that single, solitary blink, the geography of the battlefield was rewritten.
Aizawa, who had been lying broken and bloodied under the Nomu, was gone.
Tsuyu and Mineta, who had been trembling near the water's edge facing death, were gone.
And Kuma felt a massive hand grip his shoulder. The pressure was immense, grounding him, but it lasted for only a millisecond before releasing.
Kuma staggered back, his boots scuffing the floor. He looked around, disoriented. They were all suddenly near the entrance stairs, over fifty meters away from the villains.
"My apologies, Aizawa," All Might said gently, holding the unconscious, limb-twisted teacher in one massive arm with infinite care. "You fought well."
He looked at the students huddled behind him. "Get to the exit. Take Aizawa with you. Run."
Then, the Symbol of Peace turned his gaze to Kuma.
The giant student was panting heavily. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. His trench coat was a pile of gray ash on the floor, and his arms trembled from the strain of holding back a monster.
"Young Kuma," All Might said. His voice softened, stripping away the rage for a brief moment to reveal profound pride. "You held the line against that nightmare. You protected your classmates when I could not. Good job."
Kuma adjusted his cracked glasses. He took a painful breath, clutching his bruised side. He looked All Might in the eye, ignoring the awe that threatened to silence him. This was tactical.
"Sensei..." Kuma rasped, his voice urgent. "Be careful. That creature... acts like a sponge."
All Might paused, his blue eyes narrowing. "A sponge?"
"Shock Absorption," Kuma clarified rapidly, analyzing the data from his fight. "Blunt force is ineffective. I hit him with enough air pressure to shatter the hull of a ship, and he did not flinch. His body ripples and negates the impact. Do not rely on brute strength alone."
All Might nodded slowly. "I see. Kinetic dampening. Thank you for the intel. It might save my life."
With that, All Might turned. The air exploded behind him as he launched himself back into the fray.
The Clash of Titans
All Might collided with the Nomu in the center of the plaza.
"CAROLINA SMASH!"
All Might delivered a cross-chop with his hands. The impact created a vertical shockwave that sliced through the air and blew away the remaining water in the lake, exposing the concrete bed.
But as Kuma had warned, the Nomu didn't scream. It didn't break. It simply took the blow. Its rubbery, black skin rippled like water disturbing a pond, dispersing the energy throughout its body instantly.
"It really doesn't work!" All Might grunted, feeling the unnatural resistance.
The Nomu screeched and swung back. All Might dodged, weaving through the air, and began a barrage of punches that turned his arms into a blur.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The sound was deafening. Every punch created a vacuum.
"It doesn't matter where you hit him!" Shigaraki laughed from the sidelines, his voice manic. "He's designed to kill you, All Might! He is the Anti-Symbol! He is your end!"
While the two titans clashed, Kurogiri—the mist villain—saw an opening. He expanded his dark void, looking for a tactical advantage.
The Nomu, ignoring the punches raining down on it, managed to grab All Might around the waist. Its claws dug deep into his side—right into his old, hidden injury.
"Got you," Shigaraki hissed. "Kurogiri, now!"
The black void expanded. Kurogiri opened a warp gate directly underneath All Might's body to anchor him, and another one began closing around his waist like a guillotine.
"We will close the gate," Kurogiri stated calmly. "And cut you in half."
All Might struggled, but the Nomu's grip was iron. He was trapped. The portal began to constrict on his spine.
"NO!" Midoriya screamed from the stairs, his legs trembling. "All Might!"
Midoriya began to run. Reckless desperation took over. He didn't have a plan; he just knew he had to move.
But someone else was faster. Not in running, but in calculation.
Kuma stood at the top of the stairs. He was exhausted. His arm throbbed with a dull ache. He watched Midoriya start to run, but he knew the boy wouldn't make it in time. Distance was the enemy.
I need a projectile, Kuma calculated instantly. Precise. Fast. Invisible.
He raised his right hand. He didn't aim for the Nomu—it would absorb the shot. He didn't aim for the mist—it was intangible.
He aimed for the only solid part of the mist villain: the metal brace protecting his neck that Kuma's sharp eyes had cataloged earlier.
Kuma focused the air into a tiny, dense point on his index fingertip. He compressed it until it hummed.
"Pad Cannon: Sniper Shot."
PHEW!
A bullet of compressed air, no larger than a coin but harder than diamond, shot across the plaza at supersonic speed. It tore through the chaos, threading the needle between All Might and the Nomu.
CLANG!
It struck the metal brace around Kurogiri's neck with pinpoint accuracy.
"Gah!" Kurogiri flinched violently, his physical body rattled by the sudden, concussive impact.
The warp gate faltered. The coordination broke for a single second.
That one second was all the Symbol of Peace needed.
"Detroit... SMASH!"
All Might ripped himself free from the loosened grip. He grabbed the Nomu by the waist, lifted him, and suplexed him into the concrete.
BOOOOOM!
A massive explosion of dust and debris rose to the ceiling.
All Might stood up from the crater, steam rising from his body. He glanced back at the stairs for a brief moment. He saw Kuma, arm still extended, a wisp of smoke rising from his fingertip.
"Excellent cover fire!" All Might shouted, giving a thumbs up.
Shigaraki scratched his neck furiously, drawing blood. His eyes darted from All Might to the stairs.
"That brat again..." Shigaraki hissed, his voice dripping with venom. "The giant one. He's ruining everything. He's a glitch in the system. Kill him! Nomu... kill the bear!"
.
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