Smoke curled in the air, the scent of scorched metal and ozone clinging to every breath. The USJ had become a war zone. Takao stood tall his uniform torn and crackling with static. Around him, fifteen unconscious bodies littered the ground. Bruised, battered, but victorious.
He exhaled, lightning dancing across his skin, his golden lightning intensifying along his fingertips as he turned to face the rest of the chaos. Screams echoed in the distance, students scattered and fighting across the domed zones. But one sound cut through the noise.
Boom!!
Then another.
Boom!!
Crash.
And then he heard someone mutter.
"Nomu, kill him."
Takao's eyes widened as he saw Eraserhead, Aizawa, slammed violently into the concrete by a massive, hulking figure. The creature stood nearly eight feet tall, its flesh warped and black, muscles unnaturally bulging, eyes glowing with empty rage. At the top of the stairs, a pale man with hands clinging to his face stood motionless.
Takao didn't hesitate.
"Aspect of Zeus: Thunder and Lightning!"
He vanished in a burst of gold, reappearing in a streak of static and power, a thunderclap marking his arrival as he launched a punch directly into the creatures side.
The hit connected loud, sharp, and devastating.
And the Nomu barely budged.
Takao's feet scraped along the floor from the recoil, eyes narrowing. "…Seriously?"
The hand-covered man, Shigaraki, shook his head with a laugh. "Shock absorption, he was made to destroy All Might."
Aizawa groaned behind him. "Arashi…Get out…Can't beat it… head-on…"
"I'm not leaving you," Takao muttered. "Especially not after what you just took."
The Nomu charged, unnaturally fast for its size. Takao twisted, lightning flaring from his back as he leapt and dodged.
"Let's see how much you can really absorb," he muttered.
He held out both arms. "Chain Lightning!"
Golden bolts leapt from his palms, bouncing between the Nomu and the metal structures around them. The shockwaves lit the room like a fireworks show. Sparks danced across the monster's body; its muscles spasmed but it kept coming.
Takao gritted his teeth. The monster wasn't flinching. Not reacting. Even with the lightning turning the air electric.
He ducked under a massive swipe, darted to the Nomu's blindside, and unleashed a series of precision jabs to its joints shoulder, knee, spine. Each strike lit with thunderous force. He poured everything into the combination. Power surged through his veins, and arcs of gold burst from the ground around him.
Still nothing.
The Nomu's wounds sealed within seconds. It was regenerating too fast.
Takao panted. The strain was building his body fine, but the migraine was creeping in, Even 70% output isn't enough.
He launched backward, putting distance between them.
"That's enough lightning," he muttered. "If thunder won't work… and lightning can't outpace it…"
That's when he heard it.
A whisper. Faint but clear. Resonating from somewhere within. A presence stirred in his chest. One he hadn't called before.
Takao closed his eyes.
…It's time.
"Aspect of Hephaestus: Dvine Fire."
The air around him combusted.
His hair, once streaked with white, deepened into a rich burgundy red. His blue eyes turned crimson, glowing like embers beneath his brow. Heat radiated from his body, the floor beneath him cracking and bubbling. His hero uniform seared and reshaped under the raw energy.
The Nomu charged again.
This time, Takao didn't dodge.
His hands ignited, fists glowing white-hot. He met the Nomu head-on with a roar and slammed his flaming punch into its chest. The impact sent a shockwave of molten force through the villain's body. Flames licked at its skin, burning faster than its regeneration could keep up.
The Nomu reeled back.
Takao pressed the advantage.
He ducked low, spun with a rising flame-coated uppercut, then twisted midair and brought both fists down like a hammer striking an anvil.
The ground erupted beneath them. Fire poured across the battlefield like a living wave. The Nomu howled, skin blistering, cracking, melting.
Shigaraki's hands trembled. "NO! NOMU! KILL HIM!"
But it was too late.
Takao summoned everything he had left, flames raging around his arms like a raging furnace.
He leapt skyward.
He crashed down with both fists, engulfed in fire. The Nomu was caught directly in the blast, and with one final shriek, its body collapsed into flaming ash.
Silence fell.
The smoke parted and standing just at the edge of the battlefield, cape fluttering in the burning wind, was All Might.
He'd arrived just in time to see the final blow.
"Remarkable…" the Symbol of Peace murmured.
Takao turned to him, swaying slightly. A smile crept across his face.
"Guess… that worked…" Then he collapsed, fire flickering out, hair returning to black and white as he fell unconscious.
All Might rushed forward and caught him just in time, his eyes wide with a mix of surprise and admiration.