In that critical moment, as Kurogiri was opening the Warp Gate directly in front of a panicked Midoriya:
"BOOOM!!!!"
The gate was slowly starting to engulf Midoriya, but before it could fully consume him:
BOOM!!
Something enormous struck Kurogiri, causing the ground to shake and a massive shockwave to erupt.
"I told you it's forbidden for you to hurt my students!"
In that moment, All Might appeared again. He had countered the Nomu in a flash and delivered a decisive blow to Kurogiri. All Might was seething with rage, and his usually smiling face had become intensely serious.
"You won't touch him!" All Might roared, raising his arm and standing before the students like an impregnable wall. His presence brought hope and security, yet even with All Might there, the students' hearts were filled with anxiety.
"All Might..." Midoriya muttered, feeling gratitude and astonishment.
"Hahaha...." The students and All Might heard a laugh before turning toward the source of the sound.
Shigaraki was moving slowly, his wicked smile widening.
"What a distraction," Shigaraki said coldly. "You sent Nomu far away, but that wasn't enough to protect them all."
Suddenly, Nomu appeared again, moving at incredible speed. It had returned from the impact with the wall without a single scratch, astonishing everyone.
"This is impossible!" Kirishima yelled. "It took a direct hit from All Might!"
"Nomu, go and attack him with full force," Shigaraki commanded, pointing at All Might.
Suddenly... Swoosh!!!!
Nomu lunged towards All Might.
BOOM!! STRIKE!! BLOCK!! SPARKS!!
The fight between them was brutal and devastating. All Might's punches struck Nomu with unbelievable power, but Nomu absorbed every blow thanks to its Shock Absorption Quirk.
"He can't feel a thing!" All Might yelled, realizing his normal attacks wouldn't be enough. "He's absorbing all the power of my attacks!"
"Of course, Hero!" Shigaraki said, laughing. "Nomu was specifically designed to fight you! It also has a Regeneration Quirk, meaning it will keep healing from any damage you inflict."
The words hit All Might like thunder. He knew this fight would be different from any he'd faced before. He had to find a way to defeat Nomu without completely depleting his strength.
In that moment, Todoroki suddenly appeared, using his Ice Quirk to completely encase Nomu's arm.
"We won't let you hurt our teacher!" Todoroki shouted coldly.
But Nomu moved with brutal force, shattering the ice with a single movement.
"Students, get back!" All Might yelled. "This fight is not for you!"
But the students couldn't back away. They were trapped between All Might and Nomu, and they had to find a way to help.
In that critical moment, Bakugo suddenly dashed towards Nomu, trying to launch an explosion at its head.
"I won't let you pass, you monster!" Bakugo screamed.
But Nomu was faster. It grabbed Bakugo's arm, preparing to crush it.
"Bakugo!" Midoriya screamed in horror.
In a fraction of a second, Kirishima hardened his body and lunged toward Nomu, trying to free Bakugo.
But Nomu was stronger than both of them combined. It knocked Kirishima away and continued to crush Bakugo's arm.
Midoriya's mind raced, and suddenly, everything clicked in his head.
There's a limit to its Shock Absorption, and Nomu won't be able to absorb the force if it's too great and repeated so rapidly that it surpasses its ability to regenerate. Also, the absorption Quirk is more effective against single, focused blows, not continuous, overwhelming force.
In that moment, Midoriya suddenly ran toward All Might.
"All Might," Midoriya said, panting. "His weakness... He can't absorb the shock from the inside!"
The words were like a light in the darkness. All Might understood what he needed to do.
"Nomu," All Might said with a dangerous smile. "It's time for this to end."
All Might unleashed a powerful punch directed at Nomu's abdomen, a blow so concentrated it didn't give Nomu any chance to absorb the shock. The strike was so forceful that Nomu began to vomit blood.
"UTAH SMASH!!!"
All Might continued to deliver punches with unbelievable power, each blow stronger than the last.
"More! More! More!" All Might roared, unleashing all his might.
After a continuous barrage of powerful punches, All Might launched Nomu high into the sky, until it disappeared from sight.
"It's over," All Might said, panting heavily. "I did it."
Shigaraki stared at All Might in shock, realizing his plan had failed.
"This is impossible..." Shigaraki mumbled. "How?"
"Because I am here!" All Might yelled, giving a triumphant smile.
A Glimmer of Life in the Alley
Elsewhere, in a dark alleyway in the middle of the city, Toge stood next to a massive, disfigured mass of flesh: the Nomu's corpse.
He had left the scene immediately after stopping his fight with Bakugo, only watching the initial struggle between Nomu and All Might before heading outside the facility. He did this because he was trying to reach the Nomu before the heroes did, and since he knew the events, he left after satisfying his curiosity by seeing Shigaraki.
Toge looked down at the dead Nomu's body, which bore the marks of All Might's devastating punches. He sighed slowly, saying with a voice full of sarcasm: "What bad luck! I used two precious wishes for you, and in the end, I find it dead so quickly." Toge had used one wish to increase his speed and another for a tracking device, but it seemed to have been in vain.
He was about to leave. He started walking away from the corpse, but in that moment, he felt a very slight movement coming from the mass of disfigured flesh. Toge stopped and looked down.
He found that the Nomu had already begun to regenerate, but in a slow and painful manner. Its tissues were forming and repairing themselves extremely slowly, as if it were struggling to return to life after all those crushing blows.
A sharp, dangerous smile appeared on his lips. The signs of frustration and sarcasm vanished, replaced by a strange interest.
"Well then," Toge said in a low voice. "It seems things are starting to get interesting."