Chapter 56: Full Cowl vs. The Crimson Storm
The stadium was a vortex of sound and light, a world holding its breath, all of its focus narrowed to the two boys on the stage. The last chapter had ended on a precipice of impossible power: Izuku Midoriya, wreathed in a crackling, untamed web of green lightning, a look of pained and resolute determination on his face. He had found an answer. Opposite him, Rock Lee stood, his initial shock having melted away into a state of profound, impressed wonder. The real battle was about to begin.
The starting bell, which had rung moments before, seemed to echo again in the sudden, tense silence.
"SMASH!"
Midoriya did not charge. He threw a punch, not at Lee, but at the empty air before him. A cannon blast of pure, compressed wind, far more powerful than the gentle breeze Lee had mocked earlier, shot across the stage.
Lee's eyes narrowed. He raised his arms in a simple 'X' block, his mind thinking, A ranged attack? Like before, this should have little effect.
He was wrong.
The wind hit him not like a breeze, but like a physical, invisible fist. It was a solid, concussive force that slammed into his guard, making his arms tremble and his entire body slide back a full meter on the concrete. He grit his teeth, shocked, his hair whipping wildly, the pressure against his face like riding a motorcycle at top speed. It was a completely different level of power.
And it was the perfect distraction.
While Lee was braced against the gale, Midoriya was already a blur of green lightning. A single, explosive leap, empowered by his Full Cowling, propelled him across the intervening distance in a fraction of a second. By the time the wind from the Smash dissipated, Midoriya was already there.
Damn it! Lee thought, his eyes widening.
A fist, wreathed in those same crackling green sparks, shot up from below in a brutal uppercut. It connected squarely with Lee's chin. The world tilted, a flash of white light exploding behind his eyes. He was airborne, sent flying helplessly into the sky. The familiar blue aura of his Second Gate flickered around him, a stark contrast to the brilliant green sparks that now danced around Midoriya's rising form.
Lee, tumbling through the air, his vision swimming, managed to focus one eye on his opponent below. Midoriya was gritting his teeth, his entire arm trembling from the strain of the blow. This isn't normal… Lee thought, a sense of pure, analytical awe cutting through his disorientation. His punching power… it's incomparable to anything he's shown before. He's evolving, right here, in the middle of our fight.
"MIDORIYA TURNS THE TABLES AGAIN!" Present Mic's voice roared, a mixture of shock and glee. "HE SENT THE UNDEFEATED CHAMPION FLYING! OOH, AND HE'S CONTINUING HIS ASSAULT! THERE'S NO LETUP FROM THIS KID!"
The crowd screamed as Midoriya, with another explosive leap, shot into the air, appearing above the still-airborne Rock Lee. Lee, his instincts screaming, crossed his arms over his head in a desperate defensive gesture. Midoriya somersaulted in mid-air, channeling his power into a single, devastating axe kick. Green sparks flew from his heel as it descended.
BASH!
The kick slammed into Lee's guard with the force of a falling anvil. It was not a technical blow; it was an act of pure, overwhelming force. Lee's defense held, but the momentum was too much. He was driven downwards like a meteor, smashing into the hard concrete floor of the stage with a sickening CRACK.
A cloud of dust and debris erupted from the point of impact. The crowd was on its feet, their screams deafening. In the commentary booth, Aizawa watched with a silent, intense focus. In his secluded room, All Might's thin hands were clenched into fists, a proud, terrified smile on his face.
In the stands, Mr. Tanaka gripped the railing. "This is bad! He's going to lose at this rate!" He turned to Sora, his face a mask of panic. "Why are you so calm?!"
Sora was not looking at the cloud of dust. She was watching Midoriya, who landed gracefully on the stage, his body still wreathed in green lightning. A small, knowing smile was on her face.
"It seems," she said, her voice a low, confident murmur, "that Lee is finally going to take this seriously."
"Wasn't he already using his skills?!" Tanaka asked, bewildered.
"Watch," she replied simply. "And you will see."
In the Class 1-A section, Uraraka had her hands clasped to her mouth. "He's really doing it," she whispered, her eyes shining. "Deku-kun is pushing Lee into a corner…"
"Is that what it looks like to you?" a low, gravelly voice growled from behind her. Bakugo was leaning forward, his crimson eyes burning with a furious, analytical light. "You extras know nothing about that eyebrow bastard. He's not even using fifty percent of the power he used against the half-and-half bastard." He let out a sharp, frustrated grunt. "And Deku… he damn well knows it."
The students around them went silent, shocked by his words, their eyes snapping back to the arena floor just as the dust began to settle.
Midoriya landed, his eyebrows twitching from the sharp, grinding pain in his joints. Ten percent was a razor's edge. He looked at the crater where Lee had fallen, his own heart pounding with a mixture of hope and dread.
And then, he saw him.
Rock Lee rose from the center of the crater, his posture calm and unbroken. But something was different. Something was terrifyingly different. His skin, which had been its normal, healthy tone, was now flushed a deep, vibrant crimson, as if he were burning with a fever. A thick, oppressive cloud of steam was venting from his body, hissing as it hit the cool air. The Third Gate of Life had been opened.
The moment Midoriya saw the change, the victorious light in his eyes was replaced by a look of grim, deadly seriousness. He knew, with an instinct born of a true fighter, that playtime was over.
Lee did not speak. He did not smile. He simply vanished.
He reappeared in front of Midoriya, a blur of crimson and green. Midoriya, his 10% Full Cowl screaming through his veins, managed to react, throwing a punch. But Lee was no longer there. He was at his side, a knee driving into his ribs. Midoriya grunted in pain but used the force to spin, lashing out with a kick. Lee ducked under it, his movements fluid and precise, a dance of pure, terrifying efficiency.
It was a battle between a controlled storm and a raging hurricane. Midoriya's 10% gave him incredible, explosive power, but his movements were still raw, still unrefined. Lee, in his Third Gate form, was a master artist of combat. Every one of his movements flowed perfectly into the next. He parried, he dodged, he struck, forcing Midoriya onto a desperate, chaotic defensive. Midoriya was fighting with everything he had, and he was being completely, utterly, overwhelmed.
After a furious exchange, Lee saw his opening. He whipped one of his unraveled bandages forward. It wrapped around Midoriya's waist with a sharp snap. Before Midoriya could react, Lee pulled.
Midoriya was yanked forward, his feet leaving the ground. Lee leaped into the air, spinning, and delivered a powerful, two-footed kick squarely into Midoriya's chest.
It was not an attack meant to injure. It was an attack meant to expel.
Midoriya shot backwards through the air like a cannonball, his green aura flickering wildly. He flew across the remaining length of the stage, over the white boundary line, and crashed into the soft, grassy area beyond, ending his tournament run.
The battle was over.
A profound silence fell for a moment, and then the stadium erupted. On the stage, Rock Lee stood, his skin still a deep red, his body venting steam. He was panting heavily, the fiery red aura around him slowly fading, a clear sign of the immense toll even that brief, serious assault had taken on him. He had won.
~~~~
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