Smoke poured thick across the plaza, rolling low and heavy like fog. The veil pulsed faintly, holding its shape, swallowing up sight lines. Harry's hands shook as he tugged another scroll free, pressing the parchment against Aizawa's chest.
"Stay still."
The scroll hissed as it released its stored magic. Warmth surged out in a steady pulse, wrapping Aizawa in soft green light. The bruising along his ribs smoothed, the angry purple blotches fading into muted shades. His breathing steadied, his eyes sharpening as the pain dulled.
Aizawa caught Harry's gaze for half a second. No words passed. They didn't need them. He was on his feet again, shaky but standing, scarf dragging behind him like a bloodied banner.
Harry stuffed the spent scroll into his robe pocket and glanced at the battlefield. His gut turned cold.
The Nomu was already moving.
Its massive arm swept through the air like a storm, the sheer force scattering the veil in a single blast of wind. The smoke peeled away, exposing everything—the ruined plaza, the downed Midoriya, Aizawa half-upright, and Harry himself.
And then its empty eyes locked on him.
Harry's throat clenched. His blood iced.
It's looking at me. It knows.
The Nomu blurred forward.
"Shit—" Harry ripped open a shield scroll, thrusting it in front of him. A translucent barrier shimmered into existence, and the Nomu's fist smashed into it with bone-cracking force. The shield fractured instantly, spiderweb cracks flashing across its surface.
Harry dove sideways just as the barrier shattered. Dust and stone erupted in the explosion of force. His body rolled hard, ribs flaring with pain. He shoved another scroll open—
Burst.
Light detonated. A flash so blinding it painted the inside of his eyelids white. A crack of sound thundered with it, rattling his skull.
The Nomu reeled. It staggered, clawing at its own eyes, a guttural bellow tearing out of its throat.
Harry's heart pounded in his ears. It worked. It's blind, it's deaf. It doesn't have anything to counter that.
And then Aizawa's voice, hoarse but sharp: "His healing quirk is gone."
Harry understood. Without regeneration, the Nomu's eyes stayed dark, unfocused, no instant recovery. It stumbled like a drunk beast, its steps heavy, blind fury driving them.
Seconds. That's all we've bought. Seconds.
Harry bolted for Midoriya. The boy lay clutching his ruined arm, sweat soaking his face. Harry slammed a medium heal scroll against his chest. Magic burst, knitting flesh and mending cracks in the bone—not fully, but enough to drag him back from collapse.
Midoriya's eyes flew open. "H-Harry—"
"No time. Get up if you can. Move!" Harry barked, hauling him roughly before shoving him aside, away from the Nomu's flailing path.
The beast roared and slammed its fist down, shattering stone. Dust sprayed.
Harry sprinted back, fumbling for another scroll. His satchel was lighter now, the gaps noticeable. Too many gone already. And it's still standing.
The fight dragged on, seconds bleeding into minutes that felt like hours. Harry cycled through what was left.
Veil—smoke screens to obscure them, buying precious blinks of safety.
Bind—scarlet energy whipping around the Nomu's limbs, seizing muscle. It snapped apart in heartbeats, but it slowed momentum enough to dodge.
A desperate, full-powered Gale, his strongest yet, blasted from his palm. The Nomu dug its feet into the ground, unmoved, only a few pebbles scattering across its chest.
Harry's stomach twisted. Barely scratches it. Nothing I do sticks.
His scrolls dwindled. Every parchment torn felt like another nail in the coffin.
Then came the mistake.
He sidestepped late, just a fraction. It was enough.
The Nomu's massive form blurred through his veil, arm swinging down in a brutal arc.
Harry yanked a Shield scroll open. The barrier screamed into existence—
—and shattered instantly.
The impact cracked through his arms, numbing him. Pain flared white-hot in his chest.
"No!" Harry roared. He yanked a final Gale from his sleeve, not at the Nomu but at himself, a violent burst of wind that flung his body sideways. It saved him from the brunt, but the Nomu's fist still clipped him.
The world spun. His Lightweight Robe did its job, absorbing part of the shock, but it carried him like a ragdoll. His body sailed through the air, hit stone, rolled across rubble. Pain lanced his ribs, his shoulder, his back. He coughed wetly, breath rattling.
"SMASH!"
Harry's eyes snapped up just in time to see Midoriya throw himself back into the fight.
The boy's other arm snapped forward, green lightning screaming across it. His fist collided with the Nomu's chest in an explosion of force. Bone shattered instantly, his scream cutting through the plaza as he collapsed again.
"Idiot!" Aizawa's scarf lashed out, wrapping around Midoriya's torso, yanking him away before the Nomu's counterstrike could land.
But the boy's arm hung useless. Two blows, two limbs broken.
Harry's heart lurched. He can't take another one. He'll kill himself before he slows it down.
Jiro stepped in from the flank, her earphone jacks stabbing into the ground. A piercing scream erupted, waves of sound shuddering through the air. The Nomu flinched, its head jerking, clutching at its exposed brain.
It staggered. A moment, nothing more.
Harry pushed himself to his knees, pain roaring through his ribs. He fumbled for another scroll—his fingers scraped emptiness. The satchel sagged flat against his hip.
"No. No, no, no…" His chest heaved. Empty. It's empty.
He tore at his robe pockets, searching desperately. His fingers caught something—the rough edge of one more parchment. His last.
Ignite.
His breath caught. His throat burned. He didn't hesitate.
The scroll flared, heat building, a ball of fire roaring to life in his palm. He hurled it—not at the Nomu, but at the hand-faced man smirking behind it.
Shigaraki's grin froze. His hand twitched, but the Nomu was already moving. It blurred, body slamming into the fireball, absorbing the explosion. Flames crawled up its torso, blackening the already grotesque muscle, but it stood in front of its master like a shield.
Shigaraki's chuckle carried, even through the smoke. "Loyal, isn't he?"
Harry's heart dropped. Wasted. All of it. And still nothing.
The Nomu stepped through the flames.
Midoriya was down again, arms ruined. Aizawa swayed on his feet, scarf dragging limp. Jiro was pale, blood dripping from her nose after pushing her quirk too far.
And Harry… Harry had nothing left.
No scrolls. No satchel. His pockets empty. His body bruised and battered.
He froze as the Nomu turned, head cocking toward Midoriya's broken form.
It stepped once, twice. The ground cracked with each footfall. Its hand rose, wide as a wall, casting Midoriya in shadow.
"No—" Harry croaked, stumbling forward. His legs barely held.
And then his scar ignited.
Agony burned through his skull, searing red. His vision blurred at the edges.
And the whisper came.
"Use me."
The voice curled inside his mind, a hiss like smoke under his skin.
"You're empty. Helpless. Let me in, and I'll give you power. Real power. Tear it apart."
Harry's eyes widened. His breath caught, ragged. The pain pulsed hotter, the scar glowing faintly crimson. His chest heaved as his knees buckled.
The Nomu's hand descended, shadow swallowing Midoriya whole.
Harry's voice cracked. "No—"
"Say yes."
The whisper surged, louder, darker, pressing against every thought, every fear.
Harry's hand trembled, fingers twitching with the pull of something vile and powerful just beneath his skin.
And then—
Darkness flared across his vision.