Chapter 47: A battle against the strongest Hero part 2
The asphalt was hot, radiating the heat of the summer sun mixed with the friction of the recent violence.
Midoriya scrambled to his feet. Green lightning crackled erratically around his body, a physical manifestation of his panic. Beside him, Aokiji stood up slowly. He reached back and dusted the dirt off the seat of his white trousers, his expression twisting into a frown.
"Running doesn't seem to be an option with this monster," Aokiji said, his voice flat. "Why don't we try capturing him instead?"
Midoriya looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "Capture him?! Absolutely not! We can't do that! It's All Might!"
Aokiji flinched. He dug his pinky into his ear, wincing as if the name itself was a loud noise.
"I'm getting sick of hearing that," Aokiji snapped, his usual laziness evaporating into cold irritation. "'It's All Might. It's All Might.' Can you stop repeating that every single second?"
He lowered his hand and glared at Midoriya.
"If you are that terrified of him, then take off your hero costume and leave. Go sit in the observation room. Because I will face him alone for the remaining minutes."
Midoriya took a step back, stunned by the harshness of the words. "Kuzan-kun... you know we have no chance of winning in a fight. It's illogical for you to do it alone--"
Crack.
Aokiji tilted his head to the side, popping his neck loudly. He ignored Midoriya, turning his gaze forward to the towering figure of the Number One Hero.
"Unfortunately," Aokiji murmured, his eyes darkening, "I have to reach this hero's level as soon as possible. Yeah... in order to be like the Symbol of Peace..."
Or rather, Aokiji thought, the internal voice in his head turning sharp and cold, a Symbol of Peace that can remove the threat surrounding my family.
He clenched his fists, feeling the cold accumulate in his palms.
That's right. This has been my problem from the start. It's not about Dad, or Mom, or even Sayuri. Whether I lose my Quirk or not... that's on me. Even the threats of All For One shouldn't work on me.
He stared at All Might's imposing silhouette.
Here and now. If I can surpass, or even stall, the strongest hero... then I will inevitably conquer All For One. That man is just a rat hiding in the shadows, terrified of the person standing in front of me right now.
Aokiji's lips curled into a fierce, determined smirk.
Which means, I am currently facing a threat equal to, or far greater than, All For One himself. This experience... it couldn't have come at a better time.
Midoriya watched him. The green-haired boy stopped shaking. He saw the shift in Aokiji's eyes—the transition from a sleepy student to a warrior accepting a death match. It wasn't arrogance; it was focus.
"Have you made your decision?"
All Might's voice boomed across the short distance. The hero smiled, his teeth gleaming, and took a single, heavy step forward. The pressure in the air increased tenfold.
Aokiji didn't flinch this time.
"Midoriya," Aokiji said without looking back. " at your current top speed... how long will it take you to reach the Escape Gate?"
Midoriya calculated instantly. "About a minute."
"I can endure that long," Aokiji said calmly. "No matter what you hear behind you... don't look back."
Midoriya looked at Aokiji's back. The slouch was gone. The ice hero stood tall, acting as a shield between the student and the legend. Midoriya's eyes narrowed. The panic was replaced by resolve. He understood his role.
I have to run.
Midoriya shifted his weight. His eyes darted to the right, spotting a clear path down the adjacent street that led toward the gate.
Now!
Midoriya exploded into motion. He kicked off the ground, green lightning trailing behind him as he dashed toward the right flank.
But the world of a Pro Hero operates in a different dimension of time.
WHOOSH!
There was no sound of footsteps. Only the sudden, violent displacement of air.
Midoriya's eyes widened.
Before he could even complete his second stride, a massive wall of muscle and red-and-blue fabric filled his vision.
All Might was there.
He had moved so fast it looked like teleportation, cutting off the escape route instantly.
"Going somewhere?" All Might asked, his voice low and rumbling like thunder.
Aokiji dropped into a low crouch, his movement fluid and sharp. He slammed his open palm against the scorching asphalt.
"Ice Way."
Crrreeeaaak!
A jagged ridge of ice erupted from the ground, moving with the speed of a bullet train. It tore through the pavement, like a Railway, and surged directly beneath Midoriya's feet.
Before the green-haired boy could process what was happening, the end of the ice trail shot upward violently.
It formed a massive, vertical pillar, catapulting Midoriya twenty meters into the air in the blink of an eye.
"Wha—?!" Midoriya yelped as gravity momentarily lost its hold on him.
He looked down from his high vantage point. Below him, the scene seemed frozen in time. Aokiji remained crouched, his hand still on the ice, his expression calm and unreadable. All Might stood there, looking up, a wide, impressed smile stretching across his face.
"I told you not to hesitate!" Aokiji's voice cut through the air, shouting up at the boy. "GO!"
Midoriya gritted his teeth, swallowing his fear.
I have to trust him!
He twisted his body in mid-air, activating One For All. With a burst of green lightning, he landed on the roof of a nearby four-story building. Without wasting a millisecond, he began to sprint, leaping over ventilation units and vaulting across the gap to the next building.
All Might watched the boy flee. He bent his knees, the muscles in his legs bulging as he prepared to launch himself into the sky to intercept.
"I'm afraid it won't be that easy!" All Might declared, the ground beginning to crack under the pressure of his takeoff.
Snap.
A clear, crisp sound echoed through the street.
Aokiji had risen to his feet and snapped his fingers.
BOOOM!
The massive ice pillar that had launched Midoriya didn't just crumble; it detonated. It exploded into a cloud of pressurized frost and microscopic ice shards.
A blinding wave of white engulfed the street. It was like a blizzard had been compressed into a grenade and set off instantly. The "glittering dust" hung in the air, thick and opaque, reducing visibility to absolute zero.
Inside the whiteout, a heavy coughing sound was heard.
"Cough! Cough!"
Slowly, the dense fog began to settle, revealing the silhouette of the Symbol of Peace.
All Might stood amidst the aftermath. The heat of the summer day had been obliterated.
A thin, pristine layer of frost covered him entirely. His Golden Age hero costume was dusted in white. The tips of his iconic blonde bangs were frozen stiff. Ice crystals clung to his eyelashes, his elbows, and his massive knuckles. Even the street around him had been transformed into a temporary skating rink.
All Might exhaled.
Haaah...
A dense cloud of white steam escaped his lips, visible in the sudden drop in temperature.
He wiped a layer of frost from his cheek, his smile returning, though it was sharper now.
"You really aren't afraid to face me," All Might said, his voice echoing in the chilly air. "Kuzan Boy."
Aokiji stood opposite him, hands back in his pockets, surrounded by the cold mist he had created.
"This fight is important to me," Aokiji said, his dark eyes locked onto the Number One Hero. "Lend me your attention for a moment... instead of chasing after the running rat."
All Might's eyebrows rose slightly. The playful teacher persona faded, replaced by the aura of the warrior who stood at the pinnacle of the world.
He widened his stance, the frost on his shoulders cracking as his muscles expanded.
"Very well," All Might said, his smile turning ferocious. "Then don't blame me for what happens next."
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