The world around Izuku had shifted in an instant, one moment he had turned to face the others and the next he was somewhere else entirely.
He hadn't felt himself move and there was no sensation of displacement, no rush of wind or distortion of balance. Reality itself had simply rewritten everything around him, leaving Izuku standing where he was while the world was replaced wholesale.
"What..just happened?" His breath came uneven as his mind raced to put the pieces together.
The endless ocean stretches in every direction with waves coming and going in calm pulls and pushes. The surface was unnaturally calm, reflecting a sky that didn't belong to any place he recognized.
"H-how did I get to this place?..." He wondered
He didn't physically move, his body remained exactly where it had been which made the absence around him far more terrifying. The curse had been incapacitated hadn't it? The thought faltered and with it came a deeper understanding that made his chest tighten.
Nanami's earlier lesson surfaced in his mind with brutal clarity. Izuku had learned that curses can't be defeated without cursed energy and so he replayed the fight he just had in his head. Every smash he used, not once did it have cursed energy applied to it.
"But that doesn't explain how I-" Izuku cut himself off as Nanami's words rang out.
"Domain Expansion" The words echoed in his head, heavy with realization.
What Nanami had described earlier and what this place now was, was an ultimate technique of sorts. A space formed by forcibly pushing cursed energy outward, overwriting the environment itself.
An inescapable territory where the extension of a user's technique became law, where the confined could not flee, and where every attack was guaranteed to land.
And the worst of all? He was now trapped in one. His heartbeat pounded in his ears as the weight of the situation pressed on him. It wasn't just fear, it was the overwhelming sensation of being completely trapped in a cage with no escape of what's to come.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears, loud enough to drown out the waves of the ocean. The pressure wasn't just fear, it was the suffocating certainty of confinement, the primal knowledge that he was trapped inside a cage with no exit.
[Meanwhile - Shibuya Station]
The neon glow of the underground station flickered erratically, washing the concrete walls in harsh bands of light as the sound of impact echoed through the tunnels. Fists met flesh in a relentless rhythm and each blow snapped through the air with brutal intent.
Yuji Itadori had begun this battle for what seemed like forever ago. He barely had time to draw breath and Choso gave him none. He hadn't expected to run into anyone but he guessed that fate had other ideas.
Blood arced through the air as another strike came and Yuji felt the weight of Choso's gaze lock onto him. It wasn't the look of someone simply fighting an opponent, It was the look of a hunter who had no intention of him escaping.
Yuji slipped past a jab then twisted his body at the last possible moment. He drove an elbow into Choso's ribs with everything he had, the impact reverberating up his arm. Choso grunted as he staggered for a moment but recovered faster than anticipated.
In the same instant Choso retaliated, snapping his hand forward with blood slicked fingers. Yuji's eyes widened as blood shot outward like hardened needles causing Yuji to jerk back just in time.
"This guy is insane! He's not giving me an opening" Pain flared as a searing heat sliced past his cheek, close enough to leave his skin burning.
His control over his own blood was terrifyingly precise and accelerated at impossible speeds. Yuji found himself reacting rather than choosing, forced into constant motion as every opening he tried to create simply vanished before he could capitalize on it. This wasn't just brute strength, It was pure mastery over one's technique.
He needed a new plan and fast. Yuji grit his teeth and wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve, adjusting his stance as he tried to steady his breathing. His chest burned, muscles screaming from the sustained assault but Choso stood firm, never letting his eyes leave him.
"You'll pay for what you did..." Choso's eyes bored into Yuji with an intensity that made his skin crawl as if he were being judged rather than fought.
"I-" Yuji tried to speak
Choso didn't let him answer, he took a slow step forward and the blood around him responded instantly. It lifted into the air while twisting and coiling like living blades and each thread vibrated with lethal intent. Yuji barely had time to register the attack before blood forged projectiles came hurtling toward him.
He dropped low and rolled, diving behind a concrete pillar just as the attacks slammed into it. The cursed blood splattered and hissed on impact as it ate into the surface. Yuji's breathing was ragged but his grip on the fight never wavered. He couldn't afford to slow down, not against an opponent like this.
Yuji feinted left, deliberately overcommitting just enough to draw a response. Choso took the bait and Yuji twisted his hips mid-step and drove his knee upward toward Choso's diaphragm with everything he had.
He waited for Choso to get close then pushed off the pillar and charged once more. He feinted left to bait an attack then unleashed a spin kick toward Choso's diaphragm. Choso blocked but the force sent him skidding back.
He followed immediately with a powerful right hook, allowing the momentum to carry his body forward as he aimed for Choso's jaw. Choso barely slipped past it as Yuji's knuckles grazed the skim but Choso's blood lashed out in retaliation. A crimson streak whipped past Yuji's ear close enough that he heard it whistle pass.
Yuji pushed back, the fight was relentless and every exchange pushed him to his limits. Choso was adapting and-
BEEP BEEP
"Hey! Itadori!" A crackling voice was heard from Yuji's ear.
"Mechamaru? about damn ti-" he was cut short abruptly
"Take cover!" The mechanical voice urged.
Yuji didn't hesitate as he dodged another beam of blood and kicked off the ground. He flipped over two soda machines that had just fallen before Choso's attack ripped through where he'd been standing a second ago.
The machines sparked and spat out soda cans rapidly which caused Yuji to slip on one as he landed. He banged his head on the machine before he pressed his back against it.
"Shit that stings.." Yuji muttered as he rubbed his head before Mechamaru spoke up again.
"Listen closely Yuji. I don't have much time so there's something you need to know. You're up against Choso right? Well he's using Blood Manipulation at a level that far surpasses what most curse users can handle" Mechamaru began.
"Kinda figured out that much..." Yuji wiped the sweat from his brow
"If you're not careful he can infect you. If it enters your system, he could clot it in your veins and kill you instantly but that's only if he has that amount of control over his technique so its better to assume he does" Yuji felt a chill run down his spine from Mechamaru's words
"He's playing a long game so you have to outlast him" Mechamaru added
"I get that but it's easier said than done. He has range and when I get close he's just as fast. I've been trying to pressure him but he keeps adapting like Deku" Yuji clenched his fists
"Then force him to make mistakes. Choso's technique is powerful but If you fight unpredictably or mix things up you might create an opening"
"Unpredictable, huh? Sounds like something Deku would do" Yuji exhaled sharply.
"He gave you a few pointers right? then you use them to your advantage and make sure they count"
"Alright then...let's dance" The fight wasn't over, not by a long shot but now Yuji had a plan. He grabbed a soda can and flipped himself over the soda machines.
The fight was far from over but now Yuji had a plan. Choso shot a beam of blood and it zipped right past Yuji, slicing the machines in two. His gaze readjusted and snapped to him immediately after so he redirected the stream but Yuji slammed his foot down and reeled his arm back.
His arm shot forward as he pitched the soda can like a baseball and due to Yuji's natural strength, it could be classified as a weapon. Choso immediately stopped his technique to block but as soon as the can hit, it exploded on impact.
Carbonated liquid and shredded aluminum burst outward in a violent spray and in that small time frame Yuji had closed the distance between him and Choso. His fist rocketed toward Choso's face but the Blood Manipulator twisted aside at the last possible second.
The punch grazed Choso's cheek as he retaliated a moment later with cursed blood hardening into a spear that shot from his fingertips. Yuji ducked and the crimson projectile sliced through empty air. Yuji planted his foot and swung upward with a crushing right hook that rocked Choso's jaw.
Before Choso could reset, Yuji stepped in close and delivered a flying knee strike to the chest, the impact forcing a grunt from Choso as blood splashed against the floor. He shifted angles, slipping to Choso's blind side and threw a jab to the side of his body.
Yuji followed immediately with a low kick aimed at the thigh then chained it into an over the shoulder throw. For the first time during this fight Choso was forced to retreat with his footing becoming uneven as Yuji's relentless rhythm disrupted his timing.
Choso's expression twisted as the joint buckled slightly after getting up and Yuji surged forward to capitalize. Yuji threw another punch but Choso deflected it then stepped into Yuji's space and delivered an elbow to the face. The blow cracked against Yuji's cheek and sent him stumbling, his combo broken in an instant.
Choso rushed in, dropped low, and swept Yuji's legs out from under him. Yuji hit the ground as Choso followed up with a blood reinforced fist down toward his chest. Yuji barely managed to cross his arms in time before the impact slammed into his guard and shattered the floor beneath him.
Yuji refused to stay down so he tucked his legs in and fired them upward in a powerful kick, knocking Choso back just enough to create space. He charged in again but Choso's blood lashed out from his back like a whip that smacked Yuji across the face
Yuji weaved between the next set of blood attacks, one barely grazed his shoulder as it tore through his sleeve but he ignored it and pushed forward. Choso's blood coiled around his arm, morphing into a jagged spear.
Yuji dodged the spear, it barely missed him as he grabbed Choso's outstretched arm and used it as leverage to yank him forward before delivering a devastating elbow to his jaw. Choso's head snapped to the side but he retaliated instantly, forcing his blood to burst outward from his palm at point-blank range.
The sudden shockwave of blood blasted Yuji backward, sending him tumbling across the floor. Yuji wiped the blood from his mouth, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he locked eyes with Choso once more.
"Yuji, take cover!" Mechamaru's voice crackled through the receiver and Yuji dove towards an opening in the tunnel that led to a stairwell.
"What's your plan?" Yuji said between heavy breaths as he slumps against the wall.
"On the other side of us there's a bathroom, go into it" Mechamru responded
"A bathroom? What am I supposed to do, flush him?" Yuji didn't understand
"Just do it! Turn on all the sinks and make the sprinklers turn on, do whatever you must to flood it. Then attach me to a wall in a stall" Yuji only nodded in response.
Yuji was about to get up then noticed a stray soda can just barely rolling into view. He grabbed it before tossing it in his hand before bolting out of cover and launching it toward Choso at break neck speed.
Bonk!
"gah! you piece of shit...ill kill you for that!" Choso grabbed his forehead
"Gotta flood this place and fast" Once Yuji was finally inside he got to work by quickly breaking all the faucets before breaking off all the sprinkler heads.
"What now Mechamaru?" Yuji asked
"Now we lay the trap. Unfortunately this is will destroy me so make sure you win this for the both of us" Mechamaru admitted
Yuji didn't respond, he quickly moved to one of the stalls nearest to the main entrance and attached the drone to the back wall. He then moved himself into the stall to the right of Mechamaru's and waited but he didn't have to wait for long.
Choso barged into the bathroom moments later cautious of where his opponent could be. He peered around the corner and into the row of sinks and stalls but saw nothing.
"Three brothers huh? Now I can see the resemblance especially since I can see how much of a coward you are, just like the other two" Mechamaru called out from the closed stall to his right.
"You damn rodent!" Choso stomped his way over to it and as soon as he flung the door open the drone's eyes lit up and a small barrel extended from his mouth.
"Checkmate bloodsucker!" A small beam shot out forth, it wasn't powerful by any means but it was enough to temporarily blind someone if it made contact with one's eye.
"Gah!" The beam hit's mark and staggered Choso. However Mechamaru's drone began to die and fell from the wall.
"N...ow...It...adori" Static overwrote the words as Mechamaru made his departure with his task fulfilled.
Yuji exploded from the stall, the door flung open and slammed into Choso who had backed up in front of it. Yuji's fist which was backed by his willingness to succeed and Mechamaru's sacrifice collided with Choso's face with a force that shook the entire station.
"Thank you, Mechamaru..." Yuji's attack sent Choso to the far end of the bathroom.
Choso shook off the punch as his vision cleared, Yuji was rushing him but Choso was ready to retaliate. He began forming Piercing Blood allowing the condensed orbs to gather and swirl around him.
However the orbs began to falter as they lost their cohesion mid-formation, unraveling into useless streams that splashed harmlessly onto the flooded floor. The technique collapsed completely, the structure of Convergence breaking down as if it had never existed.
"What?!" Choso froze
The water around his feet rippled as the blood dispersed, refusing to obey him. Piercing Blood relied on halting blood's ability to clot in order to sharpen and accelerate it which forced it into an unnaturally lethal state. That same property made it unstable in water and Choso hadn't accounted for due to his lack of combat experience.
"Flowing Red Scale" He abandoned it and focused on controlling the blood in his body.
Cursed energy surged through his body as he activated Flowing Red Scale, causing his physical abilities to spike sharply. The air around him shifted and Yuji felt it immediately, he didn't fully understand why Choso's technique had failed but Mechamaru's plan had worked.
More importantly was that Yuji understood what this meant now. Choso had been forced onto his turf, no more long range attacks or cheap shots with his blood manipulation just fists and nothing more.
Yuji lowered into a stance, feet spreading slightly as his weight settled evenly across the slick bathroom floor. His breathing slowed as he allowed his shoulders to loosen and shifted his posture into something more free flowing. He remembered Izuku's lessons on the rooftop and was ready to use them.
Yuji remembered Izuku correcting his footwork, showing him how to shift his center of gravity so his legs carried as much intent as his fists. A rough version of Shoot Style had been formed, not only that but he learned how to move like Izuku, to pivot, to steal angles and deny counters.
The ways to apply Divergent Fist and how to bait enemies into believing they know your own tells while punishing an enemies own habits. He talked through observation in real time, predicting movement not through foresight but through pattern recognition. No dramatics, no lectures, just practical advice spoken between breaths and half-demonstrations.
Izuku had never fought just to win but to protect, to save people, to move forward even when the odds said he shouldn't.
"I'll live up to that.." He thought to himself
Water had continued to surge from sprinklers and sinks non stop, flooding the floor while causing it to churn. The water clogged one of the drains before pushing it up in its flood
Yuji took note and took it upon himself to make the first move by pushing his cursed energy into his leg and stomped down onto the floor. The impact came in two stages, the initial strike then the delayed surge of divergence followed later, blasting outward in a tight radius.
Water exploded away from him in a violent ring, spraying the walls and ceiling but the pressure launched the loosened drain cover straight up into the air. Yuji punched it and the metal was sent hurling forward like a bullet.
Choso barely reacted on time before twisting his body and knocking it aside with a sharp deflection, sparks flying as the cover slammed into the wall and embedded itself there. Choso then surged forward immediately, opening with a fast right jab meant to reclaim the momentum.
Yuji sent out a jab of his own to collide with Choso's which the blood user thought was a poor move until divergent fist activated which snapped his guard wide open. Yuji stepped in and slammed his forehead against Choso's face with a brutal impact, forcing him backwards.
Yuji pressed his advantage with a punch from above to crush Choso's guard but Choso pulled back at the last moment. The strike smashed into tile instead, sending shards skittering across the room.
Choso countered with a left cross, his body snapping forward with enhanced speed from Flowing Red Scale. Yuji used the momentum of his missed strike to rotate his body and spin under the punch as it passed inches away from his face.
He quickly used the back wall as a launch point to become air borne before pivoting his hips and whole body. His leg whipped around in a tight arc, crashing into the side of Choso's head in a flying kick born from his rough Shoot Style.
The kick snapped Choso's head to the side and for the first time Yuji felt it real momentum shifting in his favor. His feet hit the floor cleanly with his heart pounding with a silent confidence.
Yuji lunged towards the blood user again but a sudden impact struck deep into his lower right side. Yuji's body jerked violently as pain detonated through his core, realizing his liver had been pierced.
"W-what?...How?!" His hands flew instinctively toward the wound, fingers slick as they came away stained red.
The sprinkler system continued to rain down relentlessly to dilute and stop Choso from using his technique. This fact had reinforced the false sense of security he'd fallen into since he had assumed the technique was neutralized and that assumption was his mistake.
"Villains don't care about fairness. They'll do whatever they have to in order to win even when you think you've got them figured out they'll always find a way to tip the scales in their favor" Izuku had said to him.
"I should have seen this coming, should've paid more attention...should've listened.." Yuji gritted his teeth while blood dripped from his wound.
Choso had hidden the blood in his hand the entire time by keeping it shielded from the water and compressing it beyond visibility. While Yuji had focused on fists and movement, Choso had been waiting.
Yuji staggered as his breath began breaking apart, the pain started to spread through his side like fire. His thoughts spiraled before he could stop them, images of him collapsing, of falling here alone, of never getting back up. The odds ran through his head in a cold merciless tally, each one tipping further toward death.
"It's easy to doubt yourself when things get tough. When the enemy in front of you starts to feel like a mountain you can't climb and you don't think you have the strength to defeat them"
"I like to think being strong isn't about how hard you hit or how many battles you win. Heroes don't exist because they're invincible, they exist because they keep standing even when it hurts" Izuku's words rang true
"There will always be people beyond our reach, people we can't protect no matter how hard we try. But that's all the more reason to stand tall and keep moving forward because even when we can't save everyone, we can still inspire others to act so maybe they'll reach someone we couldn't"
"I understand it now...my role in this..." Yuji muttered before stomping his foot to ground himself.
He wasn't here to protect himself, he wasn't here to walk away, he was here to save Gojo-sensei and by extension, everyone else who was still fighting and still believing. If bringing Choso down meant his own end then that was fine, there were still others that could save Gojo.
Cursed energy surged through his body and was fed directly by the terror he refused to run from. His mind had become cleared of distractions by burning them away until there was only the fight in front of him. Pain became data and his fear became fuel for the trial ahead of him.
Choso watched him carefully as he started to form a hardened blood fist. He knew that Blood Meteorite wouldn't work on Yuji again but he also knew that Blood Manipulation was never meant to harden blood to the extent he was currently performing with his fist.
This carried real risk even for him due to the possibility of thrombosis that lurked at the edge of the technique, a consequence he normally avoided at all costs. But Yuji had changed and Choso hardened the blood in his fist anyway, cursed energy compressing it beyond what should have been safe.
"You are more dangerous than I realized..." Choso said quietly.
"I can do this" Yuji breathed out.
Yuji and Choso began to walk toward one another, they didn't run or lunge, it was just one step after another. The chaos around them faded into background noise as the space between their bodies shrank until they were within arms length.
"I know you can't hear me right now but thank you for picking me back up Deku. There's a chance I might not make it out of this and if I don't, I hope you get back home after all this" Yuji's message echoed into the void
Yuji settled into a southpaw stance, His right leg and arm leading the way while keeping his weight balanced despite the pain tearing through his side. Choso mirrored him with an orthodox stance, letting his blood-hardened left fist and left leg lead his.
Yuji's fingers twitched just slightly as they hovered near Choso's fist just flexing then releasing them. These tiny movements were meant to provoke and Choso's fist responded in kind, clenching imperceptibly with the cursed blood tightening beneath the skin. It was a silent exchange of intent as if both were waiting for the other to commit first.
Then in an instant Choso struck first with his arm coming down in a brutal hammer fist that tore through the air from above. Yuji reacted instantly, slapping the strike downward with his forearm and stepping inside the arc of the blow.
Yuji snapped a right hook toward Choso's jaw, which Choso deflected with his elbow before answering with a sharp body shot. Yuji rolled with it, absorbing the impact as he shifted his weight and returned with a tight punch to the gut.
Yuji raised his guard just in time, blocking the punch cleanly as cursed blood scraped across his forearm instead of tearing into his torso. The timing was perfect, the read precise, proof that he wasn't just reacting but anticipating.
Throughout the exchange Yuji had been careful with plotting his plan. He avoided using his left arm, letting Choso believe it was compromised from an earlier injury. If Choso thought Yuji was limited then the opening would come and when it did, it would be decisive.
A sweep meant to take his legs and finish the exchange on the ground but Yuji saw it. He jumped back before pivoting and making it into one of the stalls. As soon as the door shut behind him he rebounded off the back wall and towards the door with his legs retracted and at the last second before impact he slammed them forward with cursed energy running through them.
One Yuji's kick had landed and the door began to break off the hinges but then came the second impact. The second impact shattered the door completely and Choso, who was following Yuji and was about to barge in was hit with large fragments of the door followed up by Yuji's dropkick.
The impact cracked loudly, the force driving Choso back a step but Yuji wasn't going to give him any room to breathe. He landed, twisted, and leapt again with his legs snapping up and around Choso's head in a flying scissor hold.
The momentum carried them both sideways as Yuji torqued his hips and wrenched hard, using Choso's own balance against him. The takedown was fast and violent, ripping Choso off his footing and sending him crashing into one of the sinks.
Yuji launched himself forward and brought his strike down from above just as Choso rose to his feet, putting everything he had left into the blow. Choso shifted at the last possible instant, the punch missing by inches.
His fist smashed into the sink behind Choso instead, porcelain shattering on impact as the pipe ruptured with a violent hiss. A jet of icy water blasted straight into Yuji's face, forcing a sharp gasp from his lungs as his vision blurred into white noise and motion.
Choso stepped in and struck twice in quick succession, a sharp body blow followed by a brutal hook that snapped Yuji's head sideways. Before Yuji could fully register the hits, cursed blood surged and hardened in Choso's hand, shaping itself into a blade. Choso swung downward with lethal intent, aiming to end it in one decisive cut.
Yuji crossed his forearms and caught the blade, the impact jolting through his arms. Choso leaned into the strike, forcing the weapon lower and pressing Yuji back step by step. Yuji's shoes slid across the flooded tile as his traction vanished beneath. His balance gave out and he slipped hard onto his back with the blade still bearing down on him.
The blood blade destabilized and exploded from the constant flow of water above. Yuji seized the moment and drove his heel up into Choso's midsection and kicked him off before rolling to the side and forcing space between them.
Yuji scrambled back to his feet, his chest heaved as the pain from his liver was screaming through his body as he jumped forward again. He launched a rapid sequence of kicks with one high, one mid, and one low.
Each one was delivered with the rough efficiency of his shoot-style footwork. Choso blocked every one, arms and hardened blood absorbing the impacts as water sprayed around them with each collision.
"I made sure not to use my left arm so he thinks it's useless" Yuji landed back on the floor and sent out his last attack
Yuji flashed his right hand with just enough cursed energy to use as a decoy, forcing Choso's guard to shift high. Choso went to block but Yuji was already driving a left hook straight into Choso's body with everything he had left.
But the impact felt wrong, It didn't sink in the way it should have. There was resistance that was too solid so Yuji's eyes widened just as Choso's expression hardened with cold certainty. Choso has hardened the side of his body with his blood manipulation just in time.
Choso lifted his arm and brought it down in a vicious chopping strike. The blow slammed into Yuji's collarbone with brutal precision, carving deep into his shoulder as blood sprayed outward. Pain shot through his body and Yuji staggered back as his arm began going numb as strength drained from his frame.
"This is the end for you, Yuji Itadori..." There was no gloating in his words, only finality. He drew his arm back as a final strike meant to end everything in front of him.
"This is it..." In that narrow slice of time Yuji understood.
His body was already giving out, his shoulder burned, his vision swam, and his legs barely listened to him anymore. The odds were both clear and unforgiving, yet something inside him refused to accept them.
He remembered his grandpa's words first
"You're a strong kid so try to help others"
Then Izuku's words came last
"We'll both become heroes in our own way"
"You without a doubt have the heart of a hero..."
"I won't give up...not yet!" Yuji remembered the fist bump with Izuku. The unspoken promise in that small gesture.
Even if he had to crawl and even if his body failed him piece by piece. He would strive to be better, to become stronger, to save people, and to protect them. He would live up to Izuku's expectations not because he was told to but because he chose to.
"I'll become..." Choso's punch landed before the though could finish
The impact drove the air from Yuji's lungs as blood burst from his mouth. His body folded inward, agony tearing through his chest but he refused to fall. Yuji clamped both hands around Choso's arm with every shred of strength he had left.
"I'll...become a hero...just like him!!!" His breath came out in a broken shout.
Before Choso could pull away, Yuji slammed his head forward and the crack from both skulls connecting echoed through the bathroom. Then he did it again and Choso staggered with surprise flashing across his face as the second headbutt drove him back a step.
Yuji drew in one last ragged breath and poured everything he had left into the third. Cursed energy surged as Yuji smashed his forehead forward one final time. The impact detonated between them, the force rattling the walls as Choso reeled with his stance finally breaking.
With the last embers of strength left in his body, he twisted his hips and threw a final punch. The blow landed and Choso's body collapsed, crashing into the flooded floor as the water splashed violently around him.
The momentum of his punch carried Yuji to the floor alongside Choso. Water sloshed outward, rippling with dark red as blood spread and mingled into the cracks of shattered tile.
Yuji laid there, chest barely rising and every muscle screaming in protest. He hadn't won the war but he had won this battle and that was enough for him. His vision blurred at the edges of his vision and the room started dissolving into shadow as exhaustion finally claimed its due.
In that fading space he let out a weak breath and offered a silent thanks to Izuku for believing in him and for also encouraging him through his doubt. An image in his mind surfaced, one with laughter echoing through Jujutsu High while sitting around everyone with Izuku at his side.
The weight of the world felt just a little lighter seeing his new friend and a faint smile tugged at Yuji's lips. Then finally the darkness that once sat at the edges of his vision had closed in gently before it overtook him completely.
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[Act 6: Blood Water]
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[Dagons Domain]
Cursed sea creatures surged toward him in endless waves, amorphous bodies formed from water and malice, teeth and fins blurring together as they attacked without hesitation. Izuku ducked beneath snapping jaws while weaving between slashing tendrils.
His fists lashed out in sharp strikes, each punch landing cleanly but the creatures only warped then faded away once hit. They reformed seconds later as if the damage had never mattered, they almost seemed never ending as they swarmed one after another.
"They just keep resetting. Is this the guaranteed hit effect?" Izuku muttered as he pivoted away from another rush.
Several more had blindsided him but he turned in time with an arm raised to block their attack. They latched onto his arm immediately with rows of jagged teeth biting down and the impact rang dully as their fangs scraped uselessly against his mid-gauntlet.
Small sparks flickered in the air as the reinforced plating held them at bay. Izuku grimaced at the sight of them and tore them free with his other arm before hurling the writhing masses aside. But before he could reposition, another swarm had slammed into him from behind.
Izuku was sliced across his back, teeth sank into his shoulder and thighs, while some wrapped around his limbs. Blunt impacts that drove the air from his lungs as the mass closed in, Izuku clenched his teeth as blood mixed into the sea around him.
"I-if I don't...think of something I'll be...buried..." Izuku strained against the mass as he thought but it didn't take him long to find a solution.
Izuku twisted his body inward, pulling everything tight as One For All surged through his frame. Emerald lightning flared violently as he spun, the rotation accelerating to such speed that it built pressure rapidly.
"Oklahoma Smash!"
A violent vortex of pressurized air exploded from Izuku's position, tearing through the surrounding water in a spiraling shockwave. The cursed sea creatures were ripped free all at once, flung in opposing directions as the vortex shredded their forms mid-flight. Bodies burst apart into mist and foam, scattered across the domain like debris caught in a storm.
Izuku skidded back across the sand before he forced himself upright. The vortex dissipated, leaving only the endless ocean. Izuku straightened and immediately slipped back into a fighting stance, muscles coiled and ready as One For All crackled faintly around his frame.
His heart hammered in his chest and his eyes moved constantly, tracking the surface of the ocean for the slightest ripple or distortion. He waited for the next wave to crash into him, for teeth and claws to erupt from the water without warning but nothing came there was only silence.
Izuku didn't trust it as he took a cautious step back while turning his body slightly with each movement to keep every angle in view. The water remained calm, stretching endlessly in every direction, its surface unbroken and unnervingly still.
Slowly, reluctantly, Izuku let One For All fade. The emerald lightning dissipated, leaving only the ache in his muscles and the steady sound of his own breathing. His brows furrowed as he lowered his guard just enough to think.
"Why did it stop?" He thought.
He finally allowed himself to really look around. The ocean was immense and strangely beautiful, its surface reflecting a sky painted in deep blues that didn't belong to any real world. Light refracted through the water in slow shifting patterns, giving the illusion of depth that seemed to stretch forever downward.
"This is something out of a dream.." It was breathtaking in the same way a storm at sea could be both awe-inspiring and lethal all at once.
Before he could take in anymore of the scenery, Izuku's new danger sense kicked into gear. The sensation crept in slowly, not as its usual spike but as a steady pull tugging at his awareness.
His gaze lifted toward the far end of the island, whatever was there was a threat but it might also be where the rest of the group was and the thought was enough to set his body in motion.
BOOM!
The water erupted, unleashing a seething mass of grotesque aquatic shikigami from the murky depths. The water around them churned violently, waves slamming outward as the creatures lunged with mindless aggression.
"Maki! Attack the moment you feel any kind of contact. Don't hesitate!" Nanami shouted sharply.
Her blade flashed, cleaving straight through a shikigami's skull in a single motion. Blackened blood sprayed into the water as the body collapsed and dissolved beneath the surface. The instant she felt resistance through her grip she twisted her torso, using the momentum to drive her blade downward again. The brutal follow-up strike split another creature apart before it could even think of attacking.
"Midoriya's nowhere in sight..." Nanami stood just behind Maki while scanning the battlefield as he prepared to engage the next wave.
He wouldn't admit it but out loud but that deeply concerned him. The boy had an overwhelming presence on the battlefield and his instincts were undoubtedly refined but he was still inexperienced in Jujutsu battles.
"Not good..." He muttered. In an environment where the enemy dictated the rules, Izuku being separated meant he was in significant danger. Especially when he can't fully wield cursed energy.
"Where the hell is Midoriya?! He was just with us" Maki's usual confidence held an edge of worry.
"That kid better still be breathing" Naobito said with a grunt after punching another creature aside.
"Wherever you are...don't let this place be your end" Nanami's gazed hardened had he hoped for Izuku's safety
Another shikigami lunged at Maki but her blade cleaved through the creature's skull in a single motion, sending a spray of blackened blood into the sand. The moment she felt anything come into contact with her she twisted her body into a brutal downward strike.
The next shikigami was split in half before it could even reach her. Another lunged from her left but she ducked which gave Nanami the opening to slice the creature in two with ratio. One after another they tore through them with relentless precision.
The shikigami were an unending tide that threatened to consume them entirely but Nanami was not a man who succumbed to panic. Another creature lunged from his right, ready to clamp down but Nanami sidestepped before he whipped his arm sideways and sliced through the abomination.
The moment he struck one down three more surged forward to take its place. The waters were thick with them, spitting them out and the overwhelming numbers meant he was constantly on the defensive. This only caused him and Maki to get separated, now all three of them were fighting on their own.
Then suddenly one of them whipped from the side a fraction too fast. Nanami's eyes widened and the curses mouth wrapped tightly around his body before another snared his leg. He gritted his teeth as his muscles strained against the sudden pull but before he could react any further they engulfed him.
"Nanami!" Maki shouted
Maki reacted instantly when Nanami was taken, pivoting hard and driving forward to cut a path toward him. Unfortunately for her a dozen shikigami surged up between them, forcing her back to where she was as she went on the defensive once again.
Elsewhere, Naobito remained momentarily untouched by his anti-domain technique that rendered the sure hit effect useless. While the shikigami swarmed uselessly around his position, Naobito focused on analyzing the domain's rules.
BOOM!
Dagon appeared and struck without warning, slamming into Naobito and sending him flying through the air.
"You were too focused on analyzing old man" Dagon's pupil-less eyes narrowed watching as Naobito was sent flying.
"Annoying little bastard aren't you? Weren't you taught to resp-" Naobito regained control by twisting mid-air and landed on his feet.
Before Naobito could finish his sentence, the ground beneath him erupted. Shikigami burst upward from below and wrapped around his limbs and torso.
"These damn fish are getting on my nerves" Naobito's eyes flickered with irritation.
His technique could counter the inevitability of Dagon's domain but it meant nothing if he couldn't move. Maki saw it happen and moved in to cleave the curses apart but before her blade could even reach them Dagon intercepted her.
Maki blocked with her polearm but it broke and she was sent spiraling backward across the sand, tumbling end over end before she slammed to a stop. A line of blood trickled from her temple as she looked to Naobito who was still bound and struggling against the relentless horde of cursed shikigami.
"There is no end to my swarm" Dagon launched Naobito into the air before being sent to the ground again.
"D-damn it..." Maki pushed herself up with her polearm.
Her arms trembled, muscles screaming in protest and for the first time since the fighting began a twinge of doubt crept in uninvited. Everything was falling apart, everyone had been separated and surrounded in a domain that existed solely to grind them down until nothing was left.
What she felt next wasn't fear but helplessness and she hated that feeling. She couldn't do anything to help Nanami or the old man and now she was on the floor in pain from one hit. A shadow soon fell over her and when she looked up, Dagon loomed over her but she wasn't going to show weakness to some glorified fish.
"I-if you wanna kill me...then do it in a single blow next time! Octo-bitch!" She said with a smirk
"Is that so? Then I'll devour you just like the others..." Dagon replied coldly
He raised his arm, stretching it outward as cursed energy gathered. The air thickened, heavy with inevitability and Maki felt it settle over her shoulders, the crushing weight of what was about to happen.
"Heh, If heroes existed...I could really use one right now"
KA-THOOM!
A thunderous boom split the sky followed by a streak of emerald light that tore across the domain like a living bolt of lightning. It zigzagged through the battlefield in impossible angles, striking first where Naobito had been trapped, then flashing again toward the mass that had swallowed Nanami.
Each pass detonated with concussive force, cursed sea creatures sent flying in every direction. Water surged violently, being thrown outward in rippling shockwaves that carved clear paths through the domain's sea.
Before Maki could even process what she was seeing, she felt herself move. In an instant, the three of them were gone from where they'd stood moments before, reappearing nearly a hundred feet away from Dagon.
Sand settled violently around them as Maki touched solid ground again. She was set down gently along with Nanami and Naobito, whoever had moved them had taken the time to make sure they were set down safely.
"Are you okay?" A voice reached her as sound returned to her senses.
Maki looked up to see Izuku bent down next to her as the emerald lightning faded along his frame. The arms of his hero suit were torn off, there a chunk of it missing out his shoulder as it had blood covering it and there were probably even more in that she couldn't see.
His eyes were sharp with concern and locked onto her as if nothing else in the domain mattered. For a moment she forgot the pain, the dread, and the crushing odds they'd just escaped from. Unexpectedly however, something began to stir in her chest that was unfamiliar and frustratingly difficult to name.
"I-" Maki opened her mouth to speak but the words wouldn't come out.
Before she could force them out, Nanami stepped forward and placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder. The simple gesture made Izuku straighten immediately with worry flashing across his face as he turned.
"Nanami are you-" Izuku was cut off before he could finish.
"I'm alright Midoriya just some flesh wounds but I'm glad you're safe" Nanami's grip tightened just slightly before he let go.
Izuku was taken aback but nodded once with relief washing over him. He turned to Naobito next but the older man waved him off with a sharp scoff.
"Tch. Took you long enough kid" Naobito said
"Can you stand?" Izuku had turned to Maki after short exchange and offered her a helping hand with small smile
"Yeah..I should be ok" Maki looked at his hand for a moment then took it before being pulled up with surprising care.
As the water settled and the sudden upheaval faded, his many eyes fixed on the boy standing between him and his prey. He replayed the moment again and again in his mind, the impossible speed, the way the swarm had been dispersed as if swept aside by a passing storm, the precision with which the two men and the girl had been extracted.
It was all instantaneous and that fact alone was enough to leave a sense of unease within Dagon. Dagon narrowed his focus, expecting to feel an overwhelming surge of cursed energy radiating from the boy.
Instead there was almost nothing except for a faint presence, quiet enough to be mistaken for weak cursed energy The contradiction gnawed at him since power like that should have been unmistakable in its presence or signature.
"There's barely any sign of cursed energy radiating from him. It's no matter, he's only arrived to die with the rest of them" Dagon's eyes narrowed
Dagon dismissed the trick the boy had employed since it didn't matter, this was still his domain. He raised his hand and a fresh wave of shikigami and crushing pressure barreled toward the group. Izuku stepped forward before anyone else could react, placing himself between the attack and the others.
"Does the kid have a death wish?" Naobito scoffed under his breath
"Hold your judgment Zenin. Midoriya is not one to take lightly" Nanami responded
Izuku planted his foot and inhaled slowly while forcing the noise of the domain to fade into the background. His arm rolled once at the shoulder as he wound it up, allowing his muscles to tighten as One For All surged through his body.
"You however must learn to coat your attacks with cursed energy. It must be imbued not merely unleashed" Nanami's words rang clear in his mind
Power without intent was wasteful and power without control was meaningless. He shifted his stance and reeled his right arm back. One For All began to climb, reaching 30%, 40%, and finally 50%.
Emerald lightning crackled violently around his frame and for the first time without sputtering out immediately, his own cursed energy and fed into the attack. It wasn't the golden energy from before but instead it was just saw cursed energy.
The foreign energy flowed along his arm until it was properly imbued. The air around his arm distorted as the combined forces stabilized but not only was it seen, it was felt by everyone as the number climbed to 50%.
"That shouldn't be possible...this boy...can choose when to reveal his cursed energy. Either that or...his cursed energy only exists the moment he uses it!" Dagon's expression darkened as he came to a chilling realization.
"Texas Smash!"
The punch detonated and the wind pressure from it had erupted outward like a living thing, compressing the air into a violent shockwave that tore through the oncoming swarm. Shikigami were erased on contact and annihilated completely before they could even register the impact.
The sandy floor beneath fractured and peeled away, ripped apart as the blast carved a path straight through the domain, leaving churned earth and spiraling debris in its wake. When it reached Dagon he could only brace himself before the shockwave slammed into him.
BOOM!
With a thunderous boom folding his massive form Dagon was launched across the battlefield. Trees splintered and crashed to the floor as he crashed into them, the trunks snapping and foliage exploding outward under the force of the impact. The wind howled for several seconds longer before finally dissipating, leaving behind a scar carved through sand.
"Damn Midoriya, you really know how to make an entrance huh?" A small smirk played on her lips as she stood.
Naobito had huffed in response to the girl's shenanigans, he had prided himself on being the fastest sorcerer alive.
Besides Satarou Gojo of course...
Sure there were those who claimed otherwise like Toji Fushiguro who had been nothing short of an anomaly. Toji was an exception though, a monster born outside the system entirely but when it came to true sorcerers Naobito himself had always stood alone.
But that was until now as for what he had just witnessed from the boy wasn't merely fast, it was instantaneous. The kind of movement that didn't just close distance but erased it and Izuku wasn't even fully trained as a jujutsu sorcerer yet.
"If he grows into that power..." Naobito's lips slowly curled into a grin.
"Haha, hey Nanami how much for the boy huh? Come on you gotta have a price" Naobito turned his head to Nanami who in turn just looked at him with a blank stare.
"What?!" Maki's head snapped toward him.
"I mean it, the kid's got potential and then some. He'd make a fine addition to the Zenin clan. Reminds me of another purchase I made once before when I was more youthful" His grin widened.
"More youthful? I'd say your the same damn fossil you've always been you geezer" Maki shot back
"He's not for sale Zenin..." Nanami said flatly
"Eyes up, this isn't over yet!" Izuku called out
Dagon burst free from the shattered foliage and crashed back onto the sand, his massive form skidding as sand sprayed in every direction. Deep cracks ran across his body with pieces of his skin visibly damaged.
"Looks like round two's on the table. Let's take this bastard down for good this time" Maki rolled her shoulder once and stepped up to the right of Izuku
"Your cursed energy application has improved. Well done Midoriya but remain focused, celebration can come later" Nanami moved in as well, positioning himself to Izuku's left
"Yes sir" Izuku responded
"Let's hurry this up already. I've had a long day and I'd like a drink before it gets worse" Naobito clicked his tongue before joining them.
"You're unbelievable, old man..." Maki groaned.
"You may have caught me off guard but it won't happen again. This place will consume you all" Across from them Dagon had straightened fully and was ready for engage
"Yeah yeah keep believing that fish breath" Maki shot back as she spun her partially broken polearm.
Dagon began moving and they did the same towards him. They converged towards each other, gearing up to clash one more time. The ocean churned, the sand shifted underfoot, and cursed energy raised on both sides like an incoming storm.
"Zenin and I will focus on the curse directly. Nanami, Maki, you'll cover our flanks and attack only when there's a clear shot" Izuku spoke in a hushed tone
"Understood" Nanami responded simply.
"We got it big shot but don't let us down alright?" Maki smirked
Dagon struck first by sending out a wave of shikigami, their bladed fins and crushing currents tore across the sand. They were aimed directly for Izuku but he decided to meet them head on, One For All ignited through his body as he shot straight into the oncoming tide, emerald lightning cracking around him.
He leapt up before twisting midair and drove a kick downward that split the wave apart, the impact detonating in a violent spray of sand and pressure. The fragmented currents slammed harmlessly into the sand behind him as Izuku landed and immediately accelerated again.
Dagon pushed forward and met Izuku head on, Dagon sent out a punch of his own but Izuku brushed it away with his wrist and spun his body into a spin kick. Dagon blocked but the force made him stumble so he used the momentum to flow into a swiping attack.
Blackwhip shot out of Izuku's back and pulled him into a backflip as the attack flew past him. Naobito flashed into frame and used his projection sorcery to freeze Dagon in place which allowed Izuku to attach two blackwhip tendrils to the ground in front of himself to act like a slingshot.
Izuku shot back to Dagon with both legs extended, slamming into the frozen pane he was stuck in. It shattered and Dagon's body folded around the dropkick but Naobito wasn't done as he flashed forward again.
Dagon recovered mid air and commanded more shikigami to intercept him but Izuku saw it coming and gave Nanami a boost by grabbing his hand and flung him to catch up. Nanami flew across the shoreline and once he was close enough, his feet hit the sand as he spun once as he slid before clasping his cursed tool with both hands.
Once the spin completed he was face to face with the incoming swarm until swung his weapon with all this might and ratioed all of them in half. With the shikigami taken care of, Naobito was upon Dagon and launched a series of strikes at him.
Dagon blocked the initial strikes but Naobito switched up his attacks and slipped past his guard. Dagon staggered but he shot a bean of water from his mouth, forcing Naobito to block and was flung back. He tried to send another wave of shikigami but Maki interrupted him by slicing his arm.
Maki landed a few more before Dagon retaliated, she managed to dodge the first attack but the second one was about to connect. That was until Izuku pulled her away with blackwhip and backflip kicked the punch away.
Izuku shot a jab before he was punched in his side and the force made his feet leave the ground. He gritted his teeth as the momentum carried him up to head level with Dagon so he used it to his advantage and gave Dagon a left hook filled with cursed energy to the head.
Izuku landed on the ground and reset his footing before trying to send out a Detroit smash but Dagon caught his arm and flung him over his shoulder. Izuku was flung across the shoreline as Naobtio stepped in to catch Dagon off guard but the curse slammed his palms down and used his disaster tides technique to push him and the others back.
A violent surge of water exploded outward, blasting Naobito back and forcing Nanami and Maki to brace as the pressure swept across the sand. Izuku tumbled but dug his fingers into the ground and flipped himself upright just as his danger sense screamed.
The curse reappeared in front of him in a blur, blitzing forward at breakneck speed but Izuku barely had time to raise his guard before they collided. Their hands locked together in a brutal clash, cursed energy and raw power grinding against each other as the ground beneath them fractured.
A deep trench carved itself into the shoreline as Izuku was pushed back inch by inch while dragging furrows through the sand. They came to a stop and Izuku's muscles burned as he held his ground, every nerve was screaming but he didn't give way. He looked up at Dagon with defiance despite the strain and began to push back.
"The power you possess is strong but this domain will swallow you just as it has swallowed countless others" Dagon leaned in
"That may be so but you picked the wrong people..." Izuku tightened his grip as he pushed back even more
"You'll never win...not as long as I'm here!" Izuku declared before pulling Dagon in and headbutting him.
''St. Louis Smash!" Izuku followed up with a St. Louis Smash that lifted Dagon off the floor.
He jumped up to deliver a Texas Smash but Dagon had waited till the last possible moment to summon a serpent out of his stomach that caught Izuku off guard. The serpent twisted violently, dragging Izuku across the sand before going skyward in a spiraling motion.
The world inverted in a blur of sky and sand as Izuku was then hurled toward the ground. He slammed into the shoreline near the others, the impact detonating in a spray of sand and water. The serpent recoiled and dissolved back into the sea, leaving Izuku skidding across the ground before he dug in and forced himself to a knee.
"Midoriya! Are you alright?" Namami shouted in concern as he ran up and crouched next to him
"I'm...I'm fine Nanami..." Izuku nodded while drawing in a slow breath as he pushed past the ache running through his body.
"If we don't end this soon...it's only going to get worse" Izuku's thoughts were already racing.
He could tell that Dagon was beginning to adapt to them and the seemingly endless amount of those aquatic creatures would become a nightmare to keep up with. He'd been holding back with One For All since he was close to the others.
Not only that but he was instinctively cautious with using cursed energy because it was still unfamiliar to him but that hesitation had to come to an end. This fight wasn't just about winning, it was about stopping Dagon here and now before anyone got injured any further.
"I can't be afraid of it anymore, I have to accept it. Use it" Izuku exhaled
"I...have a plan Nanami.." he said quietly to Nanami.
"What do you have in mind?" Nanami inquired.
"I'm going to draw out 100% of my quirk and fight him but I can't have any of you near me. So what I'm saying is...I'll fight him alone" Izuku pushed off the ground.
"Are you absolutely sure Midoriya?" Nanami helped him up until he was standing straight.
"Meddling when you don't need to is the essence of being a hero and I've been doing that since I arrived. So I refuse to stop now, even if it means I have to do somethings on my own" Izuku clenched his fist.
A few steps ahead, Maki and Naobito stood guard with their eyes fixed on Dagon as the curse advanced slowly across the sand. The ocean churned behind him, shikigami stirring just beneath the surface.
"I'll take it from here" Izuku passed Maki and Naobito without slowing, stopping a few feet ahead of them as he steeled himself.
Izuku's words hung in the air as he stepped past them, placing himself squarely between Dagon and the rest of the group.
"Hold on, what do you mean you'll take it from here?" Maki's eyes wide with disbelief as she looked at his back.
"That thing's a special grade in its own domain, you don't just walk up and solo it!" Her fist clenched
"Figures...I saw that look in his eyes as he past. He's already made up his mind Maki" he muttered while folding his arms as he studied Izuku.
"You're just going to accept this?" Maki shot him a glare.
"Accept it? No but I understand it. That kid's the type who doesn't back down once he decides something's his responsibility. Trying to stop him now would just get in his way" Naobito shrugged
"That doesn't make it right, this isn't how fights are suppos-" Maki too a step forward but was stopped by Nanami as he placed a hand on her shoulder
"You're not going to stop him either, are you?" Maki glanced sideways at him.
"It wouldn't matter if I tried but I have faith in Midoriya. He isn't one to make a claim like that blindly" Nanami said simply as he pulled her back.
Izuku closed his eyes and he let all the noise of the domain fade out as he focused. Power surged as Full Cowling climbed in percentage. The familiar burn returned as 100% flooded his system with Red veins of energy crawling across his skin, branching along his arms, neck, and face.
"Please watch over me...lend me your strength, vestiges" Izuku hasn't been able to speak to the vestiges since he arrived but he knew that somewhere in that silence they were still with him.
As the power stabilized at 50% output, Izuku shifted his focus and began activating Fa Jin. He tapped the iron soles of his boots against the ground, first left then right, again and again. Each impact stored kinetic energy, layering it deeper into his legs and the crimson aura coiled around them.
"You believe you can face me alone? You are insignificant" Dagon watched with open disdain as he allowed his cursed energy to swell around his massive frame.
The red veins of one for all crept higher, converging at his brow until an X-shaped mark burned into existence between his eyes. The ground beneath his feet cracked violently, sinking inward as if unable to support the pressure radiating from him and the excess energy spilled from his body.
His hair rose until it spiked as its color shifted into a brighter, almost electric blue. The lightning arcing around him changed as well, it was no longer green but blue as it snapped through the air with a deafening crack.
"All that flash to prove a delusion. You're nothing more than a foolish child..." Dagon raised his hand to strike.
KA-THOOOOM!
The space in front of the curse collapsed in on itself as Izuku reappeared an instant later, already inside Dagon's guard. Before Dagon could even register the displacement, a kick slammed into his side with devastating force.
"..W-WHAT?!.." Dagon was in disbelief
The impact folded his massive frame and sent him rocketing backward, skimming across the ocean's surface before crashing into the water in a towering plume. Dagon burst back out of the sea, fury rippling through the domain as he conjured wave after wave of cursed sea creatures to put distance between them.
Serpents and manta like horrors and bladed forms surged forward in layered formations, flooding the air and water alike. Izuku tore through them without breaking stride as fists, feet, and sheer momentum reduced each creature to mist the moment he made contact.
Every strike detonated with compressed air, shockwaves punching holes through the swarms as if they weren't there at all. He was nearly upon Dagon again as the curse shot a torrent of water from his mouth, Izuku spun over and under it before he hit him with an uppercut that sent the curse airborne.
"How has he gotten faster and stronger?! This shouldn't be possible! At least I have the advantage in the sky" Dagon began to recover and slow his movement.
Izuku activated Float and his feet left the surface of the ocean as he surged upward, meeting Dagon in the air. The sudden loss of gravity caught Dagon off guard, his eyes widening as Izuku closed the gap where there should have been none.
"NO! He can levitate?! Is this boy like Gojo?!...I wont allow myself to be beaten by a child!" Dagon roared and summoned a massive shark.
Its jaws snapped shut where Izuku had been a heartbeat earlier as he dodged backwards. The creature tore past him before splashing back into the depths below but what followed after were hundreds of sea creatures that were waiting on the other side.
They flooded the sky and surrounded Izuku from every direction so Izuku blasted backward in a blur, leaving a bright blue streak across the air as he created space. He turned mid-flight and narrowed his eyes as he analyzed the swarm. The creatures weren't moving randomly, they were splitting and coordinating with each other trying to box him in.
He stopped to suspend himself midair before he drew in a slow breath as the ocean and sky converged around him. Red energy flared as Fa jin activated, he adjusted his posture by tilting forward with both feet extended behind him.
BOOM!
WHOOOSH!
Izuku vanished into motion, leaving behind overlapping afterimages streaked in red and blue. He zipped through the swarm at impossible speed, changing direction in sharp bursts as he pushed off the air again and again.
Each movement generated violent shockwaves and sonic booms cracking through the domain as he tore through the heart of the horde. Creatures were obliterated before they could even react, their forms collapsing into vapor as Izuku carved a path straight through them.
The sky thundered with the sound of his passage and when the last afterimage faded, the swarm was gone, scattered into nothingness and Izuku was already closing in on Dagon again with his power roaring.
He spun forward into a tight frontal somersault, momentum coiling through his body as One For All surged in perfect sync. Air twisted violently around him, compressing into a spiraling mass as he drove his fist forward.
"California Smash!" He roared
The punch landed with a roaring vortex of air pressure wrapped around his arm and cursed energy woven directly into the strike. Dagon raised his guard to brace for impact but it shattered instantly. The force tore straight through his defense and sent him hurling backward, his massive body ripping across the air before slamming into the ocean's surface in a violent spray.
"T-this...cant be the end...I WON'T ALLOW IT!" Dagon was getting desperate
Dagon was staggered, wounded, and desperate but in a final frantic effort he summoned a roaring vortex of water in front of himself, the sea spiraling upward like a living wall meant to swallow everything in its path.
"I don't care how many waves you throw at us!" he shouted, cutting through the storm.
"I'll break through every single one of them!" He roared as he swiped his arm through the air.
The wind pressure detonated outward, shredding the water vortex apart as Izuku burst straight through it with electricity screaming around his frame.
"SSMAAAAAAAAASH!!"
His fist crashed into Dagon's stomach, the impact folding the curse inward as the shockwave affected the ocean below. He unleashed a relentless volley of curded energy punches, each strike landing faster than the last. His arms moved at such speed that the air around his fists became super heated as sonic booms cracked one after another.
Dagon couldn't respond nor could he even react before Izuku grabbed him, spun hard, and whirled his massive body around until a roaring vortex of air formed around them both. With one final heave, he launched Dagon high into the sky even higher leaving the curse spiraling helplessly upward.
One For All flared brighter than ever before, glowing so intensely it was as if a star had ignited above the domain. Izuku shot after him, appearing above Dagon in a flash of light. In that moment One For All felt tangible, as if the power itself had taken form in his grasp.
Izuku reached out and seized it, time slowed before the sky darkened as thunder rolled, lightning tearing across the clouds as Dagon stared upward, dread finally taking hold. Izuku reeled his fist back with the golden energy flooding around it.
"I told you already that you'll never win...because I am here!"
His short memories of Nanami, Maki, Naobito, and Nobara flashed in his mind. They all served as reminders of why he needs to fight in this world, he may have been transported here against his will but if they needed his help to end this war of theirs then he would gladly be here.
"We'll be heroes no matter what!!" Yuji flashed in his mind last and the promise they both silently accepted.
"Detroit...."
Golden light surged and enveloped his fist completely but for a brief instant, sparks of red flickered through it before vanishing. Izuku swung and the punch connected squarely with Dagon's face.
"SMAAAAAASH!!"
The explosion that followed swallowed the sky and golden light erupted outward as Dagon was driven straight down. He crashed into the ocean below with cataclysmic force, the impact tearing the sea apart and sending massive waves of water in every direction as the clouds split open above.
"...Y-you've...got to be kidding me..." She stared out over the water, chest rising and falling as she tried to process what she'd just witnessed.
"Midoriya is a monster in battle..." Maki couldn't help but gain a grin on her face.
"HAHA well I'll be damned! That wasn't just speed, that was utter annihilation!" Naobito whistled
"And to think the kids still learning. Just what the hell did you teach this kid, Nanami?" Naobito gained a grin and turned towards Nanami
"I...I didn't..." Nanami didn't say much and instead stood in silence with both shock and awe.
"For a brief moment those were sparks of black and Midoriya almost used a black flash..." Nanami couldn't believe that Izuku, a boy who wasn't even from this world let alone never used cursed energy before, was able to almost wield a black flash.
In the next moment the domain shattered, the ocean and island vanished in an instant. They were now standing in the station where tiled floors replaced sand and fluorescent lights lit up their surroundings.
At the center of it all was Dagon's scorched body was burned deep into the ground, steam rising faintly from the crater left behind by the final blow. Izuku dropped to his knees a moment later as the strain caught up to him all at once.
Sharp relentless pain surged through every bone in his body. The clash of One For All and cursed energy had torn through his system and the lingering golden energy had drained far more from him than he'd realized.
"Easy Midoriya, you did well. You saved us from one hell of a curse" Nanami was at his side immediately, steadying him before he could collapse forward.
"I'm just glad I could help..." Izuku gave a small chuckle and when he looked up, Nanami had a small smile which was rare for him.
"Hey don't go dying on us now big shot" Maki said while walking over
"You guys made it..." A voice called out and everyone snapped to it
"Megumi? What the hell are you doing here?" Maki was the first to speak.
Megumi was standing still in a low stance with his hands pressed together seemingly ready to summon his domain.
"I was going to enter that domain with one of my own...but I guess you guys handled it" Megumi unclasped his hands and straightened himself.
"Well you can stop standing there like a creep" Maki joked
"Yeah, anyways...are you all okay?" Megumi stepped towards the group
"We had some close calls but we're fine. It's thanks to Midoriya that we made it out" Nanami responded as he help Izuku to his feet
"You guys definitely look like you need to see Shoko..." Megumi's words drifted off as he looked to the floor.
Megumi's eyes drifted past them and then widened. He stared at the scorched remains of Dagon embedded into the station floor, the sheer devastation etched into concrete and steel leaving no room for doubt.
"Midoriya did that?..." He thought in disbelief
"Megumi...where's Yuji?" Izuku asked as he stepped forward while regained his footing.
"I would also like to know where Ino is as well" Nanami added
"Ino was unfortunately injured so I took him to Shoko. As for Itadori...I...don't know" Megumi answered honestly
"Then we should go loo-" Izuku spoke but his words died in his throat
The world seemed to thin at the edges as his new danger sense stirred again. The golden shimmer leaked from the corners of his vision and curled into the air above his head before pulling his attention to the end of the station behind Megumi.
"Midoriya?" Nanami turned sharply.
"What's wrong?" Maki frowned.
"Somethings-"
Step...
Step..
Step
A dark-haired man emerged from the shadows at the far end of the station. He walked with his hands loose at his sides with a wicked grin carved across his face as. Confusion spread across the group as nobody knew who it was except one person.
"That's impossible..." Naobito froze and Maki noticed
"Old man...who is that?" Maki asked
"That's a ghost...someone that shouldn't even be here" His eyes never left the man.
"Everyone, we need to-" Izuku tried to warn them.
CRASH!
Glass exploded and the sound rang out violently and in the blink of an eye both Megumi and the dark-haired man vanished. Izuku's danger sense pulled to the right, dragging his attention toward the shattered station window before fading just as quickly as it had come.
He turned slowly with eyes wide and heart pounding so loudly he could feel it in his throat. The breach in the glass wall gaped open with jagged edges catching the flickering station lights. Wind poured through the hole in low hollow gusts, carrying the scent of dust and cold night air.
No one spoke nor did anyone move as the silence pressed down on them as if the station itself was holding its breath. Izuku took a couple steps forward despite himself, his iron soles crunching softly on broken glass as he approached the opening just enough to pear outside.
Yet there was nothing outside, no movement, no presence, just darkness beyond the station and the steady rush of wind spilling in through the breach. Izuku tried to process what had just happened but then danger sense came to life.
This time however it was going haywire with pain detonating in his skull, the sensation spiraling wildly out of control. It was blaring all at once with no direction or focus which caused him to stagger and grab his head with clenched teeth as the pressure threatened to split his skull.
"Midori-" Nanami moved instantly but stopped halfway
The air had changed and a presence settled over the station, it was vast and suffocating like heat rolling off molten rock. Naobito had already turned with his expression tightening as his eyes locked onto something in front of them. A curse with a volcanic head gazed down at the scorched remains of Dagon embedded in the floor.
"You've passed on, Dagon..." It said
"You're kidding right?" Naobito's thoughts spoke what his mouth didn't dare say.
"This one's another level higher than the last.." Nanami took a cautious step back and gripped his cursed tool tighter
"Leave the rest to me, old friend" The curse continued almost gently
Then he turned, letting his gaze sweep across them one by one. Maki stiffened, Naobito's posture shifted, and Nanami felt the weight of inevitability press in but the curse wasn't looking at them not really anyways.
His attention sharpened, narrowing as something else caught his senses mere moments ago. A vast amount of what felt like positive energy, it was foreign and overwhelming, lingering in the air like a scar.
"Where is it? Who could've wielded it? Geto had men-" Jogo wondered as his eyes scanned again.
Then they stopped on Izuku just as the faintest trace of energy flickered from his right hand, barely visible and gone almost as soon as it appeared but it was enough for Jogo to catch it.
"So you're the one..." Jogo's eye widened a fraction
"You'll be the first one down"
The moment the words left Jogo's mouth, the world for a brief moment had shifted. Izuku felt it before he saw it, a presence manifested behind him and it was so close it made his skin crawl.
A figure clad in shadow loomed over his shoulder and it adorned a devilish smile that slowly spread across its unseen face. During this unforeseen encounter however, a presence interposed itself between Izuku and Jogo.
The shadowed figure grabbed Izuku's shoulder and leaned in, Izuku's eyes barely caught a glimpse of the living shadow before it spoke directly to him
"The path you picked is a thorny one"
Nanami had always known the reality of being a Jujutsu Sorcerer. It was a profession built on sacrifice and on the acceptance that their lives were little more than stepping stones for the next generation.
A temporary existence that was both fleeting and ultimately insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Yet standing there in the station watching as Jogo lunged for Izuku with devastating speed, Nanami had felt something he hadn't in a long time.
He thought of Yu Haibara, his best friend before he was taken too soon. He thought of the countless times he had questioned whether being a sorcerer was worth it or whether his efforts mattered in a world that always seemed to devour the good and reward the wicked.
But then he met Izuku Midoriya, a boy who did not belong in this world, a boy who carried the weight of something beyond Nanami's understanding yet he was still pushing forward and in that moment Nanami understood.
Izuku had something he had lost a long time ago. So when he saw the moment of inevitable death rushing toward that boy, he didn't hesitate. Time stretched thin as his body reacted before his mind could catch up.
He felt the heat long before it touched him, an unbearable inferno roaring toward them like a herald of death. But he stood firm, placing himself between the attack and Izuku without a second thought.
"This is the right choice...towards a bright future..." Nanami had long accepted that he wasn't a hero.
That was a title that belonged to people like Midoriya. He was simply a man who worked, a man who had outlived his purpose, and a man who lost his ideals. But if there was one thing he could do, one final act that mattered it was this. The fire consumed him but he did not falter, even as pain seared through his body even as his vision blurred he still stood tall.
A soul crushing decision for others but a heroic end for himself
"NOOOOOO!!!" Izuku's voice was filled with anguished
"Well then...make that two down..." Jogo mused as he turned away
The flames stopped and for a small moment Nanami still stood before his strength finally gave way. With one last noble exhalation, Nanami collapsed to the floor leaving Izuku suspended in time with the echo of his sacrifice seared into his very soul.
"N-nana...Nanami..." Izuku fell to his knees with trembling hands.
Izuku reached for Nanami's hand and failed to pick due to the shaking. He tried again and managed to hold it but it felt like his hand would faze through his from the sheer amount of shaking.
His chest burned with his breath coming in ragged uneven gasps as his vision blurred with tears he didn't remember shedding. Izuku began hyperventilating with choked sobs that barely broke through his vocal cords and lungs.
His shoulders shook frantically as he subconsciously rocked himself back and forth. He held onto his hand tighter and his whole body trembled beyond so violently it felt like there were more than one of him grieving at the same time.
He was muttering helplessly to Nanami, wishing for him to get back up, to stay alive, and not to die. A spark of golden energy flickered on Izuku's hand but it fizzled and faded.
"Huh? Still alive I see" Jogo had turned back and witnessed the sight before him
"Pity you didn't die with him but it's no matter" Jogo raised his hand once more but Naobito flashed forward and struck him before rebounding off multiple pillars in the station.
"Hey kid snap out of it! Get up and get Maki out of here!" Naobito shouted before activating his technique, he saw the frames towards Jogo and bolted.
"What a pest..." Jogo summoned four small volcanos, one on each pillar and activated them.
Izuku reacted to Naobito's words and saw him just in time to see him set ablaze. The fire consumed him until he was no longer moving, which only caused Izuku to be crushed twice.
"Old man...N-nanami..." Maki's voice could barely be heard but Izuku's eyes widened
"I don't need another interruption from the likes of you" Jogo's body began to lower as he prepared to lunge.
Naobito's words lingered in Izuku's mind and he wasn't about to watch someone else die. In a flash Jogo appeared In front of Maki and set the space in front of him a blaze but in that same instant izuku zipped by and grabbed Maki.
Izuku held her in his arms as he tumbled to the floor, the flames had only touched her for a moment, she was slightly burned and unconscious but alive. Smoke billowed from Izuku as he took on most of the flames.
His costume was scorched and it was lit with embers all over it and refused to burn out and fade. Izuku let go of her before rolling to the side and struggled to get up but he managed to push himself to his feet with a grunt. He stood fully but continued to look at the floor since all he could see was Nanami, Naobito, and Maki's bodies engulfed in flames.
"What in the...how did he move that fast? I didn't even sense any cursed energy" Jogo turned and muttered with genuine confusion.
"None of this feels right...I need to end this and fast" Jogo raised his hand as unease crept in and blinked.
Once his eye opened he instantly froze at what he saw before him. A towering seven foot tall figure wreathed entirely in darkness with its outline in constant motion as if the shadow was a living thing.
Its presence was nothing short of crushing and only its mouth was visible. A shadow stretched from Izuku's feet, binding the two together like a living tether. Izuku himself was shrouded in that same darkness now almost swallowed by it.
Now only Izuku's eyes were visible along with tears that were suspended and frozen as they cut bright lines through the shadow. As for Izuku, he looked up and saw the shadow's hand lifting towards him.
"There's a wall you can't overcome with just ideals. I'll take care of the things you can't"
Izuku reached out and the shadow reached back...