The pale morning light filtered through the layers of smoke and dust, casting long shadows over the fractured battlefield surrounding the communication hub. Buildings stood hollowed out, their skeletal remains jutting toward the sky like gravestones for a city still fighting to survive. The battle had intensified overnight, and now, as the sun began to rise, the heroes stood bloodied, bruised, but still unyielding.
Reiji Kurobane stood silently near a collapsed wall, his shadow tendrils weaving through cracks in the ground and walls, reinforcing weak points, gathering debris to form temporary barriers. His Mortal Kombat System flashed streams of data across his vision, marking enemies, tracking hero vitals, and suggesting tactical priorities. Despite the adrenaline coursing through him, his thoughts were razor-focused. The AI layer of the system kept whispering optimal paths for survival, but Reiji wasn't just surviving—he was fighting to protect.
Nearby, Hawks landed heavily beside him. His wings were ragged, several feathers scorched or broken. Despite his strained breath, he managed a faint smirk. "Northwest flank is still holding, but barely," he said. "The Nomu are getting smarter, faster. And there's more of them."
Reiji nodded, adjusting his map interface. "We hold here until the evac is complete. Mirko can push east and intercept the surge. Have Bakugo and Todoroki reinforce. Midoriya is moving toward the hospital sector. If we lose that front, civilians are gone."
Hawks tapped his earpiece and launched skyward again, shouting orders and slicing through the haze. The battlefield beneath him shifted constantly—a violent tide of quirk blasts, physical combat, and desperate cries. Explosions shook the pavement. Smoke curled skyward in black columns.
Mirko surged forward through the carnage. Her muscles screamed, but she didn't slow. She spun mid-air and slammed her foot into a hulking Nomu's face, sending it crashing into rubble. Her shoulder gushed blood from a gash, but she ignored it. "You freaks want more?! Come get it!" she snarled, eyes wild with adrenaline.
Seconds later, Todoroki arrived at her side. Without a word, he extended a wall of ice that separated the heroes from an incoming group of enemies. Fire erupted from his other palm, melting through the weaker Nomu in waves. His expression was focused but grave.
Above them, Bakugo blasted in, yelling, "I said STAY DOWN!" as he hurled a cluster of explosions toward a clump of regenerating enemies. The shockwave rattled broken windows. He turned, barking orders to the nearby UA students fighting to hold the alley. "Cover her flank! You want to live, move your damn legs!"
Together, the trio formed a spearhead. Mirko's raw power, Todoroki's elemental precision, and Bakugo's explosive ferocity tore through the enemy front line like a battering ram. Though they bled and staggered, they never stopped moving forward.
At the communication hub, Present Mic's voice echoed through the command channel. "All med teams, redirect evac paths to Route B! I repeat, Route B! Eastern flank has partially collapsed!" He waved in fresh reinforcements—young heroes and support units working in shifts, exhausted but still moving.
Aizawa stood beside him, eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep. His capture scarf was frayed, and the muscles in his jaw clenched tightly. "How long can we hold this?" he asked, not expecting an answer.
Reiji approached, face shadowed by exhaustion and smoke. "Long enough," he replied. "We don't need forever—just long enough for them to live."
Aizawa turned slightly. "You sound like him."
Reiji didn't respond, but his thoughts flickered to a memory—his time at UA, training alongside those who now stood at the front. How far they had come. How fragile it all felt.
Meanwhile, Midoriya tore through a collapsed overpass, fists glowing with emerald lightning. His breath came in short, ragged gasps. The repeated strain of One For All had pushed his body to its brink. But still, he fought.
He dodged falling rubble, pivoted mid-air, and shouted, "Delaware Smash: Air Force!" The blast slammed into a Nomu barreling toward a group of wounded heroes. The blow knocked the creature through two walls.
Midoriya landed, panting, knees nearly buckling. "Got to… keep going," he whispered, pushing himself upright. "Too many people still inside."
From a rooftop, Reiji observed the battlefront shifting. His shadows extended around Midoriya, scanning for threats. The data flickered. Something was wrong.
Then the tremor hit.
The ground buckled. Dust leapt from cracked pavement. Buildings groaned. A deep, ominous rumble vibrated through the city's bones.
"Decay?" Reiji said aloud, eyes widening. His system flashed red alerts. "No. No. It's too soon—"
From the center of the battlefield, a pulse of power exploded outward. The very earth began to crumble. Decay spread like a living wave—buildings, vehicles, infrastructure—all disintegrating into ash. Walls collapsed. Roads vanished. The screams of both heroes and villains echoed like thunder.
And at the epicenter stood Tomura Shigaraki.
Awake.
"Everyone—off the ground!" Aizawa bellowed. "MOVE!"
Reiji's shadows lashed outward, grabbing two rookies and yanking them onto an overhang. His heart pounded. "No—don't let this happen again—"
In the center of it all stood Crust. The No. 6 Pro Hero had just flung two injured allies onto a safe ledge when the Decay wave reached him. His back was to it. His shield quirk sparked.
"Crust!" Aizawa shouted.
Crust looked over his shoulder and smiled. He raised one hand, forming his signature shield. There was no panic in his eyes—only calm.
And then, the wave reached him.
Ash scattered in the wind.
Aizawa froze. His scarf went limp. His eyes, always vigilant, blinked rapidly.
Reiji's shadows coiled around the empty space, too late.
Midoriya dropped to one knee, stunned. Todoroki stopped moving. Bakugo clenched his fists so hard his knuckles bled.
Even the villains hesitated.
Crust's sacrifice bought seconds.
But the price was etched into their souls.
As silence fell, the monitors in the command post flickered.
Reiji turned his head slowly toward the city center.
Shigaraki's eyes opened fully.
And the real battle began.
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