My Hero Academia: Aura Farming

[Dahaka1e]

Bro better pray he doesn't meet anyone with a telepathy Quirk if they find out he willingly lets villains get away just so he can keep Aura farming them for later.

Click to shrink...

Given the existence of All For One, the Liberation Army, and the government's personal assassins, who also work as heroes, anyone with such quirk would find themselves buried a few meters underground immediately after awakening the quirk.

 

[GymratJomar]

I'M NOT TRAPPED IN HERE WITH YOU.
You're trapped in here with me.
Should've been the perfect line.

Perfect Aura Farm dayumm

 

[LeonT]

"Yes Taka, we see the fit."

He might be Aura Farming, but he genuinely did just save Aizawa's life. So that makes him more cool by default.

 

[Omega_69]

Please stop hanging us off cliffs author. It is the least aura thing of your writing.

 

[Laath-]

Yeah... This is just like when he left a villain get the student's data just so "canon" would continue and he could aura farm more...

He needs some character development. Getting screwed/suffering a great failure by letting things go so he can aura farm seems like the way to go. He truly is getting arrogant. I can't for it to bite his ass XD

 

[TheDanny]

In the very next instant, every villain collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

After that, a red trail of light lingered in the air, dissipating slowly—the only proof of what had just occurred.

Click to shrink...

Damn, that sperm eye skill is pulling weight.

Side note, that's a really weird name for that trope. I mean, I can see the visual similarities, but did they really have to call it that?

 

[Yohnos]

Taka on Rorschach time "None of you seems to understand, I'm not locked in here with you. You're locked in here with me."

Letting Shigaraki go and telling him would be the worst humiliation "You're not a villain, you're a prob , you live because I allow it, you're free because I allow it, from the moment you were born till the time we meet again all the paths you took in your life lead you to being my dog, so go run forth before it's time I put you down."

 

[solarsaiyan]

@The Synonym Um, everyone saw him just letting go of the villain with the extremely powerful and versatile teleportation quirk, right? How will he explain that? He doesnt even have the excuse of finding the villain too difficult to fight.

 

[MorbiIIionaire]

"From now on," he said, stepping forward, "you'll be fighting only me."

Click to shrink...

I was hoping he'd say something like "I'm not trapped in here with you; you're trapped in here with me!" Type shit lol. I wonder how much aura he will be rewarded for this

 

[The Synonym]

Yeah... This is just like when he left a villain get the student's data just so "canon" would continue and he could aura farm more...

He needs some character development. Getting screwed/suffering a great failure by letting things go so he can aura farm seems like the way to go. He truly is getting arrogant. I can't for it to bite his ass XD

Click to shrink...

It's coming soon, don't worry

 

[The Synonym]

@The Synonym Um, everyone saw him just letting go of the villain with the extremely powerful and versatile teleportation quirk, right? How will he explain that? He doesnt even have the excuse of finding the villain too difficult to fight.

Click to shrink...

Tbh, I didn't think that far. I just imagined Taka's thought process to be "this guy's in the way for the incoming fight against the nomu, and tossing Shigaraki his defeated underling at his feet seems pretty cool"

 

[AkiraD.Ryu]

@The Synonym Um, everyone saw him just letting go of the villain with the extremely powerful and versatile teleportation quirk, right? How will he explain that? He doesnt even have the excuse of finding the villain too difficult to fight.

Click to shrink...

"I was going to face whatever weapon they had brought to kill All Might. I could have kept Kurogiri supressed, if I thought myself good enough to defeat whatever that was while not giving my all."

He's powerful, but not cocky (ha!), this kid won't let power go to his head (lol). What a responsible future hero (lmao)

 

[The Synonym]

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────────────────────────
[The Nomu]
────────────────────────

…

"What the hell is this, a surprise sub-boss?" Shigaraki muttered, his face scrunching in growing distaste.

His gaze swept over the dozens upon dozens of villains he had recruited for this attack—now all pathetically sprawled across the floor, defeated by a single move.

Just when had it all gone wrong?

'The plan was perfect.'

He had obtained All Might's class schedule. Recruited nearly a hundred villains. Taken severe precautions to ensure everything went flawlessly.

The Nomu—a monster designed to endure all forms of beating, with strength rivaling even that of the top hero—should have battled All Might and overwhelmed him completely, drowning the Symbol of Peace in despair.

And even if that failed—even if that damned hero had somehow found a way to surpass his secret weapon—Kurogiri should have teleported the brats toward the several ambushes he had planted around the facility. Thus, turning them into hostages and forcing All Might into a checkmate.

And yet…

Nothing had gone as expected.

All Might hadn't even shown up.

Kurogiri failed to warp the students.

And then this random kid appeared—and wiped out his entire force in an instant.

'What kind of bullshit is this?!'

All that preparation. All that planning.

Ruined by unknown variables in a single moment.

—Scratch, scratch, scratch—

Shigaraki clawed at his neck furiously, the skin already raw and reddened.

Then, abruptly, he stopped.

His gaze lifted to the sky, empty and drained.

"This is a failure."

An utter failure.

There was no denying reality anymore, no trying to save this. His forces were defeated. Kurogiri had failed at his job and apparently was countered by the kid ahead, so he couldn't even play the hostage card anymore.

By now, the students, or at least one of them, should have already left the facility. With the villains down, the one jamming communications was probably among the unconscious. Any second now, heroes would swarm the facility.

He had to retreat.

There was no other option for this.

Shigaraki nodded, accepting it.

But then—

His head snapped back toward Taka, red eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

"But not before getting rid of the brat who ruined it all!"

—Thud. Thud. Thud.—

Heavy footsteps echoed behind him.

Shigaraki glanced over his shoulder—and grinned.

The Nomu stood there, uninjured. Unfazed. Its body showed no sign of damage from the earlier blow.

He snorted. "I was worried you'd found a way to bypass Shock Absorption, seeing how you sent him flying earlier… but it turns out you only pushed him, huh?"

A cruel smile twisted his lips as he turned back to Taka.

"Did you know, brat? This thing is my secret weapon. An obedient soldier designed to counter and kill All Might."

He laughed, confidence returning.

"You're strong—I'll give you that. But jumping down here?" He laughed sadistically. "You played yourself doing that!"

—Thud. Thud. Thud.—

The Nomu stepped forward, placing itself squarely between Shigaraki and Taka.

It loomed—massive, grotesque. An aura of raw physical power radiated from its frame. Its exposed brain pulsed faintly, its blank eyes and twisted grin were straight out of a nightmare.

In front of such a monster, Taka—

—Thud!—

—grabbed his coat and tossed it aside. The impact cracked the ground.

Then his hat followed, landing atop the coat and fracturing the stone even further.

"Weighted clothing?" Shigaraki's face twitched.

"You said it was built to kill All Might?"

Taka's calm voice echoed across the plaza, freezing Shigaraki's widening grin.

—Swoooosh!—

Crimson aura erupted around Taka once more as he shifted into a fighting stance.

"Too bad for you," he said evenly. "I'm not All Might."

That was enough.

"NOMU, KILL HIM!" Shigaraki roared, all patience gone.

The Nomu screeched—a shrill, inhuman sound—and kicked off the ground.

So did Taka.

Two blurs crossed the battlefield—

—BOOOOM!!!—

And crashed.

…

°

°

°

| Top of the stairs, by the entrance |

…

—BOOOM!—

—BOOOM!—

—BOOOM!—

The entire class watched the raging battle from near the entrance, speechless.

"Taka really is strong, huh?" Kirishima muttered, loud enough for all to hear, earning several silent nods in response.

Even from this distance, they could barely follow his figure as it tore across the battlefield, clashing head-on with the villain with the brain exposed. In fact, if not for his aura acting like a blazing beacon, they would've lost track of him entirely.

The shockwaves rolling through the area only reinforced the overwhelming power on display.

"I guess we really underestimated him. He's almost…" Sero hesitated for a second. "…like All Might."

A certain green-haired student twitched at the comment, his gaze sharpening as it remained locked on the distant fight.

'Like All Might, huh?' Midoriya thought, fists clenching. 'Sero-san is right… Takahashi-san's power is on another level. Even if All Might made me his successor… can I really compete with something like that?'

It felt like two entirely different worlds—his and Taka's.

And he wasn't the only one thinking that.

Todoroki watched the battle with a serious, unsettled expression.

During the combat exercise, he had thought that while Taka was strong, his power was still within reach. After all, that day he had let his emotions get the better of him and fallen straight into Taka's taunts.

If he fought seriously, with a cool head, Todoroki believed he could close the gap.

But now?

His fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.

Now, he realized how pointless that belief had been.

He had known Taka hadn't gone all out during the exercise—but the fight unfolding before him was nothing like what he had imagined.

If this was truly the extent of Taka's power… then he had been utterly wrong.

It was hard to believe that monster down there was their peer.

—BOOOM!—

Another shockwave exploded through the plaza, closer this time, making several students flinch.

Bakugo stood frozen, much like Todoroki and Midoriya.

He had come to U.A. believing he was special—that even at the top hero school in all of Japan, he would remain unmatched, just as he always had.

Of course, he wasn't stupid. He knew others could have Quirks as strong as his—maybe even stronger. And if there was anywhere those kinds of people would gather, it was U.A.

But to Bakugo, it had never been just about his Quirk.

It was him. He was the one who made the difference. Not his Quirk.

A peerless talent, that's what he was. The kind that made him the only one who could draw out his Quirk's full potential and crush anyone who dared stand in his way.

That was what he believed.

That was what he expected.

…

Now, that belief was cracking.

He gaped at the battle, struggling to comprehend what he was witnessing.

A fight on a completely different level—speed he could barely track, power behind every blow leagues beyond his explosions, durability that allowed Taka to tank similar hits and strike back without hesitation.

And all of it… was coming from a mere classmate.

Not a pro hero.

Not All Might.

But a classmate of his.

The one he had fully believed he would surpass in time.

Now, doubt began to creep in.

His view of himself hadn't changed. To him, he was still a peerless genius, his Quirk among the best in the world, and an attitude that would no doubt lead him to the top.

But now, a question lingered—one he couldn't ignore.

'Will that be enough?'

"Aizawa, don't overexert yourself!" Thirteen's voice suddenly echoed among the class, snapping most of them out of their daze.

As everyone turned, they saw Aizawa struggling to get back on his feet, blood trickling down from his forehead. Thirteen stood beside him, gesturing insistently for him to stay down.

"I can't. Not with Takahashi fighting that thing," Aizawa muttered, forcing himself upright despite the pain. His arms trembled, and judging from the blood on his face, fractures most likely riddled his skull.

But that wasn't going to stop him.

Thirteen placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "You're wounded enough as it is! Iida already went to fetch help. It won't be long before All Might and the others get here, so lie down!"

Aizawa shrugged her hand off. "The villain boss said that thing was built to kill All Might. I can't, in good faith, leave one of my students to fight that alone."

He took a few unsteady steps forward under the students' worried gazes, doing his best to reach the stairs.

But he didn't make it far.

"Urgh—!"

His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground once more.

"Dammit, Aizawa." Thirteen rushed to his side. "Even if you wanted to help, right now Takahashi seems to be the only one capable of holding that thing back until reinforcements arrive... And at the level they are currently fighting, both of us couldn't even be able to keep up with them."

Still, Aizawa struggled, planting his hands against the ground, refusing to give up.

At least, until—

The sound of the battle approached.

Aizawa frowned and lifted his head.

"…!"

At that instant, time seemed to freeze for but a brief moment for his trained eyes to capture the image of the two figures clashing as they passed close enough for him to see clearly.

That's when he saw it.

Taka and the Nomu, exchanging blows like a dance through the air, while an aura of crimson enveloped them.

And more importantly—Aizawa caught a glimpse of Taka's face.

The mask still hid his mouth, but even without seeing it, Aizawa knew.

He was grinning. His student was grinning while fighting that monstrosity.

Soon, time resumed again, and the two figures dashed away again, not so visible anymore save for Taka's powerful aura.

As the two continued clashing in the distance, silence out of sheer disbelief drowned the class—at least, until Aizawa let out a laugh.

"Damn troublesome brat," he muttered.

But for once, he stopped trying to get back up.

Leaving everything to him was still not something he wanted to do.

But if the brat looked that confident… then maybe, at a time like this—when the tide was leaning so unfavorably toward them—it was time to trust him.

If Takahashi truly was their only chance at holding the villains back…

Then so be it.

That said, the moment the battle tilted against the villain's favor, he wouldn't let pain stop him from rushing in.

Even if he was far below their level, his Erasure would still be effective against whatever Quirks the mutant possessed—regardless of its overwhelming physical strength.

Having reached that decision, he forced himself into a seated position, resting there as he, along with the class, watched the raging battle in awe.

Thirteen let out a sigh at his stubbornness before turning to the students.

"Everyone, even though Takahashi is fighting the villains, you should all evacuate as soon as—hmm?"

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[Imaginary Technique: My Theme] (ACTIVATED!)

Song chosen: Judas (Lady Gaga)
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Her words were cut short as something inexplicable happened.

She stiffened, glancing around in confusion before grabbing her head. Bafflement spread across her hidden features.

And she wasn't the only one.

Aizawa did the same, his brows knitting into a deep frown.

The students, however—too absorbed in the battle unfolding before them—failed to notice anything amiss.

If they had, they might have realized…

A melody was playing inside their heads.

One that made their hearts pound in time with the rhythm of the battle.

…

°

°

°

| Back to the fight… |

…

—BOOOM!—

A thunderous shockwave erupted as Taka was launched downward, his body wrapped in a blazing crimson aura, crashing like a meteor.

—CRCKRKCKRKC!!!—

The ground shattered as he dug his feet in, skidding across the concrete for several meters before finally coming to a halt.

"Hahaha! This is the shit I've been waiting for." Taka laughed beneath his mask.

The chimes of aura earnings rang in his ears, sending a wave of euphoria through his body. Combined with the music pounding in his head, it pushed him into a near-crazed state.

His gaze flicked upward—to his classmates, to the teachers—making sure they were watching.

Then, elsewhere.

And finally, back to the approaching Nomu.

"You better not miss it."

As Taka rushed forward, the Nomu leaped skyward, reaching a terrifying height before descending, winding up a monstrous punch.

"Let's put on a show, alright?!"

Taka's aura flared like a blowtorch.

In the next instant, he launched himself upward to meet it, arms spread wide in invitation.

—BOOOM!—

Then, they collided once more, the air rippling from the sheer force of their fists crashing with one another.

Of course…

'This isn't really doing anything,' Taka thought, the smile never leaving his face.

After the impact, Nomu's punch barely wavered. The only one pushed back was Taka himself, sent crashing down as the two descended like falling stars.

They landed a few steps apart.

And immediately lunged again.

—BOOOM!—

Another clash shook the plaza, concrete rupturing and spiderweb cracks spreading outward.

-Tatatatatatatata!-

This time, Taka slipped beneath the Nomu's guard and unleashed a barrage of strikes into the creature's torso. His fists blurred, hammering forward like Gatling guns, each blow packed with violence and precision.

For a brief moment, it almost looked effective.

Almost.

Taka was forced to disengage as the Nomu swung a massive right hook, the blow whistling past his face by mere centimeters, and sending a gust of air similar to that of a tornado.

"…Still too weak for that, huh?" he snorted as he retreated.

In the show, All Might had overwhelmed Nomu's Shock Absorption Quirk by brute force—punching him so relentlessly that the Quirk exceeded its absorption threshold and simply failed.

Taka, strong as he was, didn't have the raw stats to replicate that yet.

The threshold was still far out of reach.

All Might had needed over three hundred punches.

He, on the other hand, would probably need a thousand.

And delivering a thousand punches just to deal –1 damage afterward…

Yeah. That wouldn't look very cool.

His thoughts were cut short as the Nomu charged again, massive fists winding up.

Taka's grin widened.

Instead of retreating, he stepped back in.

—TATATATATATATATATA!—

A storm of punches erupted as both combatants exchanged blows at blinding speed. Despite its bulk, the Nomu was monstrously fast—each of its fists colliding with Taka's, the sheer force steadily driving the aura farmer backward.

Taka gritted his teeth.

—TATATATATATATATATA!—

Thirty-thousand-something aura sounded impressive.

But split into three stats? A lot less so.

Even dividing it into just two—setting Aura Projection aside—his physicals barely reached fifteen thousand evenly. He could skew one higher, sure, but only by crippling the other.

The Nomu, on the other hand…

At least twenty thousand in strength alone, Taka estimated. Minimum.

And with Shock Absorption stacked on top of that, its effective defense was downright absurd.

Right now, he was outmatched.

If this continued, he'd be the one ground into dust.

But that was something he had already anticipated.

—Swoosh!—

In the middle of the relentless exchange, Taka suddenly dropped low.

In that fleeting opening—right as Nomu's punches sailed overhead—his aura erupted.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

[STATUS PAGE]

▸ Strength: 10,000 → 167

▸ Defense: 18,316 → 6000

▸ Aura Projection: 8000 → 30,149

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

—BOOOOM!!!—

The aura detonated outward.

Instead of slamming into the Nomu, it grabbed him—crimson energy coiling around the creature's frame—and hurled him away with brutal force.

The Nomu was sent flying, unable to stabilize midair, its massive body tumbling across the plaza.

Taka exhaled sharply as his aura recoiled back into him.

Then, it flowed elsewhere.

Behind him.

—Sheeate—

The saw cleaver tore free from its restraints and flew into his waiting hand, the handle settling perfectly into his palm.

Taka caught it, resting the massive weapon across his chest for a moment.

"Say," he said calmly. "Does your shock absorption work on cuts?"

He rolled his shoulder—

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[Aura Projection – Even a Stick Is Enough Mode] (ACTIVATED!)
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

—and swung to his side.

—SHIIING!!!—

A thin line spread across the ground beside him.

—BAM!—

Then the earth split apart, a fissure several meters deep, tearing open from that same thin line.

With the demonstration over, Taka rolled his neck, took a deep breath, and squinted as he saw the Nomu finally land—only to immediately crush the ground beneath its feet and launch itself toward him again.

As the monster charged, Taka let out an amused laugh.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

[STATUS PAGE]

▸ Strength: 167 → 6,000

▸ Defense: 6000 → 10,000

▸ Aura Projection: 30,149 → 20,316

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Shifting his stats, he settled into his stance, the unedged blade resting in his hand, ready to cut down anything in his path.

A long, nervous breath escaped him.

With these stats, getting hit even once would deal serious damage. Worse, his speed was noticeably lower than before, making evasion far more difficult.

Still.

The past three months hadn't been spent solely on discovering new AP modes or recomposing songs.

He had uncovered a new affinity between skills.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[Let's Dance!] (ACTIVATED!)
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

His eyes burned crimson as the saw cleaver vibrated with anticipation.

If he got hit once, it would probably be over.

On the other hand, he wasn't even certain this would damage the Nomu—and even if it did, the thing still possessed absurd regeneration.

Something told him this wasn't the optimal choice.

That this was stupid.

That he should just aim at the brain of the thing, or something.

But when had aura farming ever been optimal?

"All I need," he muttered, stepping forward, "is not to get hit."

…

────────────────────────

-To Be Continued...-

────────────────────────

(A/N: Whew, made another illustration for this one, although the IA forgot to smooth the strokes of the sketch I gave it, so the Nomu looks a bit cranky. Still, I think it ended up pretty good.

Also, how was the aura farming this chapter?

I tried to time the song with the chapter's length after the system alert was given, but I don't know if I managed it. I think I did, but who knows.

You guys tell me, did they end simultaneously?)

 

[Gobble'n]

"All I need," he muttered, stepping forward, "is not to get hit."

Click to shrink...

Amateur. You're supposed to strip when using this kind of strat.

 

[SageFlare]

Crazy fight so far! Loved the drawing, our MC is aura farming the shit outta that Nomu!

It seems that the pros noticed the music. That might lead to some... questions. But they might not immediately assume it's from Taka. Lot of random villains defeated, after all. One of their quirks may be the "reason".

 

[LeonT]

Time to pull an Elden Ring.

"I don't plan to get hit so why wear armour?"

 

[The Radiance's Follower]

Amateur. You're supposed to strip when using this kind of strat.

Click to shrink...

He is not to 'Let me solo her' level yet.

 

[sergey54321060]

Bro needs to lock in and let his inner brazilian samurai out

 

[Laath-]

One day will the MC realize that he can only reach the auric levels of the gods by stripping himself of clothing.

 

[swarm]

Has he considered going full aura nothing else becoming basically the core of a energy monster using his Giant cleaver like a sword

 

[TheDanny]

If they had, they might have realized…

A melody was playing inside their heads.

One that made their hearts pound in time with the rhythm of the battle.

Click to shrink...

"Eeeehhhhh??? What are you talking about teach? Of course the theme music is a part of my quirk. I just use telekinesis to vibrate the air molecules like a speaker system, promise."-Taka

 

[Despacitoleo]

I got a question will the mc dance with nomu like mahoraga and the alien Dude from JJK

Spoiler: The vid

TikTok - Make Your Day

It shows the fucking scene where dabora or whatever his name is just dancing with the big raga the opp stompa, mc gotta romantically dance with the nomi fr fr

 

[The Synonym]

Has he considered going full aura nothing else becoming basically the core of a energy monster using his Giant cleaver like a sword

Click to shrink...

I've considered it, but still seeing when to put that

 

[Gobble'n]

He is not to 'Let me solo her' level yet.

Click to shrink...

Nomu isn't exactly Malenia level either.

 

[MorbiIIionaire]

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[Imaginary Technique: My Theme] (ACTIVATED!)

Song chosen: Judas (Lady Gaga)
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Click to shrink...

Nah he'd win... hopefully lol
*Hits Nomu with a Hollow Purple out of nowhere* hahahaha

 

[The Synonym]

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────────────────────────
[Go All Out]
────────────────────────

…

"What is that weapon?" Shigaraki squinted from his position, eyeing the saw cleaver in Taka's hand.

Was he planning on cutting the Nomu?

He let out a snort. "It seems he isn't as dumb as one would expect from a brat."

Shock Absorption only worked on forces that propagated through the body long enough to be absorbed. Blunt force was ideal in that aspect, impact waves spreading through muscle and bone; it was exactly what the Quirk specialized in.

Cuts and piercing attacks, on the other hand, delivered damage too fast. The energy didn't linger long enough to be properly absorbed, and although the Quirk certainly absorbed part of the damage, it was still more effective than just using blunt force.

Still…

'A weapon won't cut it,' Shigaraki grinned.

Even if the brat could swing it at absurd speeds with either his abnormal strength or his strange telekinesis and deal massive damage to the Nomu, the weapon itself would probably shatter after the first strike. No metal could withstand the level of force required to injure the Nomu effectively.

And even worse, the damage it would do would quickly get negated the next second, since Nomu had super regeneration—losing a limb or two meant nothing when they could be regrown in seconds.

And that was only if the weapon even landed.

Nomu was built to be comparable to All Might in physical prowess. Even if the kid swung it with all his might, the Nomu could easily grab it mid-swing and crush it barehanded.

"Unfortunately," Shigaraki muttered, his grin widening into something manic, "even if you found the type advantage, the stat difference is just too large!"

His excitement and laughter surged as the Nomu charged once more.

"Now—let me hear it," he hissed, pupils shrinking as he locked onto Taka, who was preparing to swing, "the beautiful sound of your hope breaking apart!"

Soon, both combatants were upon each other, attacks ready and wound up.

But that's when it happened… when he noticed a weird detail in Taka's weapon.

"Hold on…" His eyes narrowed, looking at the cleaver, dumbfounded. "... Why does that thing have no edge?"

—SHIIIIIIN—

The shrill sound of air being split apart screamed through the plaza, stabbing straight into his ears.

Shigaraki recoiled, face twisting as he struggled to keep his eyes on the battlefield through the sudden pain.

And that's when he saw it.

"N-no—"

Reflected in his widened eyes was the image of Nomu throwing a punch—

—Splat!—

Only for its arm to separate from its bodybefore it could even connect, falling uselessly to the floor.

And Taka—who had swung—now stood behind the Nomu, his arm still extended along the weapon, as if frozen mid-motion after his slash.

The saw cleaver was intact.

"That can't be!" Shigaraki roared.

Back to the clash, after the bloody exchange, Taka slowly turned, leveling the cleaver straight at the Nomu.

"Seems pretty effective, doesn't it?"

The mutant turned as well.

Then—its bisected arm began to regenerate.

Muscle, tissue, and bone knitted back together in seconds, flesh crawling unnaturally fast until the limb was whole once more. Soon, the Nomu stood complete again, posture steady, ready to continue as if nothing had happened.

"Partially effective, I suppose…" Taka muttered wryly, letting out a sigh.

—Swoooosh!—

The brief calm shattered instantly.

Both figures blurred, air screaming as they crossed the plaza like streaks of shadow and collided once more.

—CLANG!—

—CLANG!—

—CLANG!—

Metal struck flesh again and again, the sounds ringing relentlessly as they tore across the battlefield. The ground cracked beneath their feet, pressure waves rippling outward, whipping the air into violent currents.

Nearby, Shigaraki was forced to brace himself, digging his heels in just to avoid being blown away.

Farther above, the students were spared the worst of it—but even from that distance, the fierce winds reaching them made the sheer intensity of the clash unmistakable.

—Squelsh!—

Suddenly, something burst free from the center of the fight.

An arm.

Blood trailed behind it as it spun through the air.

The Nomu's shoulder had been bisected cleanly, the force of the cut lifting the severed stump upward—

But before the arm could even hit the ground, muscle and tissue surged forth once more.

Even as Nomu wound up a punch with the arm it had just lost, flesh regenerated mid-motion, reforming the limb in the span of a heartbeat.

—CLANG!—

—Crack!—

Taka blocked the punch with his weapon, the impact driving his feet into the ground as the earth fractured beneath him.

But instead of being crushed, he twisted.

Redirecting the force sideways, Taka slipped under the Nomu's guard in a single smooth motion.

—Slash!—

And once again, limbs were sent flying.

This time—both arms.

The Nomu barely seemed to register the pain.

Instead, it pivoted and drove a powerful kick straight at Taka.

—BAM!—

Forced on the defensive once more, Taka brought up his weapon just in time—only to be hurled backward by the recoil.

—Crckckck!—

His boots carved a trail of destruction through the concrete as he skidded across the plaza, a frown settling over his features.

Then—without even a breath to recover—the Nomu was already there.

Its arms, mostly regenerated, came down in a storm.

—CLANG!—

—CLANG!—

—CLANG!—

—CLANG!—

—CLANG!—

"Kgh—!"

A blindingly fast barrage of fists rained down. Taka barely kept up, blocking each strike with the saw cleaver by instinct alone, the impacts rattling his bones through the handle.

Then, Taka found an opening amidst the barrage.

He slipped past a punch by a hair's breadth, blade flashing as he passed.

—Slash!—

Both arms came apart again.

This time, however, he didn't stop there.

As he moved, the cleaver carved lower—severing a leg—before Taka vaulted upward and repositioned himself atop the Nomu's back.

Outside the creature's field of view, aura surged into the palm of his hand.

Then he struck.

—BOOOOM!—

A burst of raw kinetic force detonated against the Nomu's spine, launching the monster bodily across the plaza and into the outer wall of the USJ.

A distant explosion echoed as concrete collapsed.

Repositioning himself, Taka let out a weary sigh.

"Damn that guy's tricky," He muttered as he glanced at the distant figure get swallowed by a dust cloud. He dragged a thumb across his cheek, wiping away the blood splattered there.

Then, he surveyed the surrounding battlefield after their exchange; plenty of arms and a few legs were sprawled around, making him wince slightly.

"That's one nasty view. Good thing the smell's slower than both of us, or I'd be gagging by now."

At least the Nomu was zombified enough that guilt didn't factor in.

If this were anyone else… he might hesitate—Or not, he still didn't know.

His gaze dropped to the saw cleaver.

Tiny dents had begun to form along its surface.

Thankfully, the Even a Stick Is Enough skill didn't just grant sharpness; it reinforced durability as well, letting the weapon survive the recoil and, as he had done, use it to parry attacks, which lessened the danger of not having too many points in defense like right now.

Still, it seemed that despite the skill's durability reinforcement, the Nomu's strength was beginning to break through what it could handle, as seen by the dents.

And not only that, but…

'It broke, huh?' Taka realized.

His eyes shifted from the blade to his arm.

White peeked through torn flesh. A pretty little bone waving at him amiably from there.

It was a jarring pain he hadn't even noticed until now.

Clicking his tongue, he shoved it back into place with his aura and funneled his healing skill into the injury.

Two thousand aura vanished in an instant.

The arm knitted itself back together, although not perfectly, just the part where the bone was shattered, fusing both parts back together.

A full-on heal of muscle, tissue, and bone would take too much aura that he wasn't willing to spend right now.

He flexed it once. Although there was pain and strain, it worked.

'Still… this isn't looking good.'

Taka kept his eyes on the distant dust cloud, fully expecting the Nomu to burst out of it at any moment—good as new.

The gap in physical prowess was too wide.

Let's Dance was doing its job: sharpening his instincts, accelerating his decision-making, letting him move wilder and faster with the blade than he otherwise could. Combined with the enhanced durability of his weapon being used for blocking, it was the only reason he was still standing.

But even then, the fight had a clear rhythm now.

He was blocking, sure.

But with every block, as he'd already learned when bone had peeked through flesh, he too received part of the brunt, getting injured.

They were injuries he could heal and waste aura on.

Or injuries he could ignore, and lose functionality against a monster that already outmatched him physically.

And worse still—

The Nomu regenerated far more easily than he did.

This wasn't a battle of strength anymore. It was a battle of attrition.

One he was losing quite clearly.

"Haaah…" Taka let out a long breath, more troubled than afraid.

'I wanted to keep this under wraps for later…' he admitted inwardly, eyes flicking briefly toward the stairs above, where he could still make out the silhouettes of his classmates. He clicked his tongue. 'But if I don't want to have my spotlight stolen by All Might—'

His gaze snapped back to the dust cloud as his aura flared.

'—then I'll have to go all out.'

This time, something changed.

The crimson aura still surrounded him—but it wasn't alone anymore.

—Crackle!—

Electricity began dancing through it.

Thin arcs of lightning crawled along his body, snapping and hissing through the air.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[Aura Projection - Master of Elements Mode] (ACTIVATED!)

Description: In his wake, the aura farmer shapes the world around him.

Thunder rains down once he gets serious.

Fire swallows his surroundings in his anger.

Ice freezes the very ground once his calmness spreads.

Mountains and earth itself part before his pace.

Because what kind of aura farmer would he be, without the very elements helping him look cool?

▸ Allows the user to imbue aura with elemental properties

▸ Higher aura output increases intensity and/or destructive potential

▸ Elemental byproducts dissipate as aura regenerates

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Behind his mask, Taka smiled faintly.

He began walking forward.

"... Now then," he murmured, electricity crackling louder with each step. "Let's see how far your regeneration gets you…"

At that moment—

A shape erupted from the dust cloud.

The Nomu launched skyward like a missile, fully regenerated, before immediately diving back down toward him, winding up a monstrous punch.

In the blink of an eye, the mutant was already there, just some meters from crashing down.

But Taka didn't raise his weapon, didn't shift his stats.

He simply lifted his palm.

"—when you can't even move."

—CRACKLE!—

Aura surged, taking on the shape of lightning and tearing forward.

In an instant, it struck.

The lightning slammed into the Nomu mid-motion, freezing its punch halfway through.

What should have been a devastating, meteor-like blow never landed.

Instead, the Nomu dropped—uselessly—crashing into the ground, and rolling uncontrollably past Taka.

Taka calmly stepped aside as it did, the uncontrolled fall of the mutant cracking the floor in its wake.

As the creature skidded past him, he moved after it, already accelerating.

The Nomu tried to move, to get back on his feet and respond to its chaser.

But its body only betrayed it—violent spasms wracking its frame as electricity tore through its nervous system.

That was enough.

Taka vanished.

Red streaks carved through the air where his eyes had been only a moment before—

—and then—

—SHRAK! SHRAK! SHRAK! SHRAK!—

Four blinding flashes.

Limbs flew.

Arms and legs were severed cleanly, spinning away before hitting the ground in a series of dull, wet impacts.

—Thud—

Deprived of articulations, the Nomu collapsed in a heap, blood pooling beneath it.

Taka winced faintly at the sight—but didn't hesitate.

He raised his hand again.

This time, his aura surged forward not as lightning—

—but as fire.

—FWOOOOSH!—

Roaring flames engulfed the Nomu in an instant, swallowing it whole.

Seconds later, the inferno died down as Taka whipped his arm sideways to shake any ember or remaining smoke away.

Then, he squinted at what remained.

The Nomu wasn't dead, but it certainly wasn't in a pretty condition.

Its flesh was charred and blistered, regeneration sluggish and uneven. Whether its healing had hit a limit or was simply being disrupted no longer mattered.

Either way, this was exactly as Taka had expected.

As a reanimated corpse, with its brain exposed to top it off, the lightning had struck its brain directly, frying its nervous system and preventing the Nomu from responding properly to the threat.

The fire followed, interfering with regeneration—whether by cauterizing tissue or simply overwhelming the process with damage. Taka wasn't entirely sure which.

Not that it mattered.

As expected, the skill was brutally effective.

'Well,' he thought dryly, 'it damn well better be. I spent ten thousand aura on those two attacks alone.'

His remaining aura sat at twenty-six thousand. It was regenerating quickly once the lightning bolt and fire did their job—but the number remained low for his taste, considering what it had taken to put the Nomu down.

His pew pew mode could have probably done the job much better, literally burning the Nomu to a pile of ash, but he wasn't about to show that skill here and now.

There would be a better moment for it.

Still.

The threat was effectively neutralized, and that's what mattered.

From what he was seeing, what once took mere seconds to regenerate now required nearly a full minute per limb.

Even if the Nomu managed to stand again, Taka could deal with it easily.

Humming under his breath, he turned toward Shigaraki.

The villain froze the moment their eyes met.

And for good reason.

-Swoooosh!-

In the blink of an eye, Taka vanished—and reappeared right in front of him. The sudden displacement of air slammed into Shigaraki, forcing a grunt out of him as he staggered back.

"Y-you...!" The villain spoke with hatred, but was cut off as he saw Taka's threatening figure lock eyes with him.

"If I take you down, that thing won't move anymore, will it?"

Anger flared across Shigaraki's face.

"You—damn it—WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU COME FROM?!"

He lunged, Decay bubbling across his palms as he reached for Taka.

But just centimeters before contact—

"Urgh—y-you…?!"

His hands stopped.

No—his whole body did.

Shigaraki's eyes widened as he realized what was happening.

The aura surrounding Taka had already spread over him as well.

It pinned him in place, locking his body to the ground as Taka stepped closer.

"An arm should be enough to knock you out," Taka said, raising the saw cleaver.

Panic flashed across Shigaraki's eyes.

"Shigaraki!" Kurogiri shouted.

Dark mist surged forward, rushing toward Taka in an attempt to separate them—

—but it stopped.

Taka's aura expanded outward, forcing the mist back and freezing Kurogiri in place in the process.

For a brief moment, both villains were caught within his control.

Taka adjusted his grip, preparing to strike.

"NOMUUU!" Shigaraki screamed.

A distorted roar answered him.

Taka snapped his head to the side.

The Nomu—mangled, legs only half-regenerated and arms barely restored—was charging toward them with reckless desperation. Even in that state, its speed was still impressive.

—BAM!—

Its punch landed on Taka's weapon, forcing him several steps back. The pressure broke his hold, the aura restraining Shigaraki and Kurogiri pulling away.

Like a wounded animal, the Nomu attacked wildly.

It wasn't trying to kill Taka anymore.

It was trying to keep him away.

Their clash resumed immediately, but this time Taka blocked each desperate strike with ease, reading every movement of the halfway regenerating Nomu.

As they fought, Kurogiri turned sharply toward Shigaraki.

"Shigaraki Tomura, we must retreat. The Nomu won't be able to hold him much longer."

"Why…. why?! A… damn sub-boss," Shigaraki muttered, scratching at his neck as he glared at the fight. "Of all things… why the hell did it have to be a sub-boss? We had everything, but he ruined it all!"

A portal opened beside him.

"Let's go," Kurogiri said firmly. "There's nothing more we can do here."

Shigaraki clenched his teeth.

After a moment, he exhaled sharply, his scratching stopping.

"…Fine."

He stepped toward the portal, expression vacant.

But before he could fully cross it—

"Shigaraki Tomura, watch out!"

Kurogiri's shout reached him too late.

Shigaraki's head snapped back—

—and the world seemed to slow.

Taka was already there.

The saw cleaver was swinging straight toward him.

For once, it wasn't just panic.

As those red eyes locked onto him, cold and focused, and the weapon descended toward him, Shigaraki felt something he hadn't felt in a long time.

Fear.

—BAM!—

The moment was shattered as the Nomu suddenly appeared and slammed into Taka with brutal force, sending him flying several meters before crashing into the fountain at the center of the plaza.

Debris and water erupted from the impact, a dust cloud swallowing Taka whole.

Even so, the feeling of fear lingered.

Cold sweat soaked Shigaraki as he retreated into the portal, never taking his eyes off the dust cloud, half-expecting Taka to burst out of it and dash at him.

Kurogiri followed close behind. For a moment, he glanced at the Nomu, which was already moving toward the fountain to continue holding Taka back.

He briefly considered retrieving it.

But the mutant was the only thing keeping the boy occupied.

Shaking his head, Kurogiri stepped through the portal. A moment later, it closed behind him.

Thus... putting an anticlimactic end to the villain attack.

Soon after, the dust cloud began to settle, revealing Taka lying amid shattered stone and splashing water, blood trickling down from his forehead.

"Took them long enough."

With a grunt, he pushed himself upright, brushing debris from his clothes before looking ahead.

The Nomu stood there, unmoving. Its gaze was vacant, no longer aggressive.

Whatever connection Shigaraki had used to control it was gone. Now it was just the mindless corpse it had always been.

Taka groaned softly and sent a wave of healing aura through his body—enough to mend fractures, but not enough to erase every wound.

"Putting on a show really takes a toll," he muttered as the pain fully set in without adrenaline to dull it.

He had deliberately gone out of his way to scare Shigaraki badly enough to force a retreat. In the process, he had allowed himself to take hits from the Nomu, just to sell the idea that he had been "stopped."

If he truly wanted to, Shigaraki could have died here—or at the very least, lost the hands that gave his Quirk meaning.

'But your usefulness isn't over yet,' he thought, squinting at the spot where the villains had disappeared. 'You'll get me plenty of aura from now on.'

He snorted, eyes gleaming with a calculating light.

'So grow stronger, Shigaraki—oof.'

A sharp wince followed as pain surged through his body again.

He had dumped a good portion of his stats into defense to make sure those last hits from the Nomu wouldn't kill him—but that's all they did, not kill him.

The damage was still substantial.

Annoyed, he glanced at the Nomu.

—BOOOM!—

A burst of aura slammed into it, launching the creature toward the mountainous section of the facility and embedding it in the rocks.

'Doesn't feel good, does it?'

He was petty like that.

Satisfied, Taka turned and headed toward the stairs leading up to the students ' area, retrieving his coat and hat along the way.

Once there, he looked up at them.

And not just them.

Standing at the edge was another figure, staring down at him with an unreadable expression—one that made Taka grin.

The Symbol of Peace, had arrived.

But, as it seemed...

'Too late, All Might.' Taka chuckled in a low voice.

Then he blinked as a bead of blood slid past his eye.

'…Looks like those last hits did more damage than I thought.'

Smiling wryly, Taka closed his eyes and slicked his hair back, the blood keeping it in place.

He felt awful.

Sticky. Dusty. Every movement sent a dull ache through his body.

He could've cleaned himself up with his skill.

But sometimes—

A little blood after a battle just looked cooler.

...

────────────────────────

-To Be Continued...-

────────────────────────

(A/N: Thus, the USJ finally ends. I considered making it one chapter longer, but that'd just be mean on my part. So here it is, Taka handled everything himself, and we got to see what the last skill he had unlocked was all about.

Now, it's time for consequences to catch up.

And, of course, to reap the benefits of all this. Cause just the little aura his classmates gave him of course isn't enough.)

 

[The Synonym]

Join my Patreon to get access to more chapters, and you'll help me make ends meet while doing so.

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────────────────────────
[Wrapping Things Up]
────────────────────────

| Minutes earlier, All Might's POV: |

…

My heart pounded against my chest, sharp pain tearing through my body as I dashed toward the USJ at full speed.

I was overexerting myself. The three standard hours I could maintain this form had long since been spent earlier in the day, after going out of my way to help civilians in distress. Now, I was pushing my body well past its limit.

But I didn't care.

I forced myself forward, ignoring the burning pain in my stomach and further down as the facility in the distance rapidly drew closer.

I couldn't allow the students to be harmed. Not when it was my fault I hadn't been there from the beginning.

This pain was my punishment for being irresponsible—and I wouldn't let anyone but me pay the price.

—BAM!—

Seconds later, I crashed through the facility gate, sending it flying aside so I wouldn't waste even a single moment.

I braced myself for the worst. For the consequences of my delay to have already taken their toll on my students.

But instead—

"All Might?"

"You're here!"

"Thank God!"

"Hmm?"

All of the students were present and safe. Along with my fellow teachers, Aizawa-kun and Thirteen.

I froze for a brief moment, taking in the sight, relief washing over me before I winced at Aizawa-kun's condition. His injuries were severe. A battle had clearly taken place.

And yet… he was sitting calmly on the ground.

How so?

Young Iida described the situation as one incredibly dire, with several villains taking over this place and with the plan of killing me—which, if they were smart, meant they weren't relying solely on numbers, but on power that should contend with me as well.

Despite this, Aizawa-kun looked nowhere near worried.

Was my assumption wrong? Were the villains that easily taken care of, despite their confidence?

—BOOOM!—

My thoughts were cut off as a distant shockwave of tremendous force echoed through the facility, drawing everyone's attention.

My alert spiked back, although still mixed with the confusion as to why my usually serious coworker was so calm in this situation.

I moved quickly toward the stairs, scanning the battlefield below.

And that's when I saw him and realized one student had been missing.

"T-that's…!"

Young Takahashi.

He was currently buried in a pile of rubble and water, clearly having just crashed into the central fountain, dust still lingering from his recent crash.

And not far from him, an enormous mutant with bulging muscles stood imposingly, arms and legs mangled, but not diminishing his terrifying frame in the slightest.

If anything, it only made him even more eerie.

Was he the reason the villains were so confident to attack U.A. so brazenly? I felt danger oozing just from the mere sight of him.

Perhaps it was his nonchalance despite the massive damage across his legs and arms.

Perhaps it was his terrifying appearance and frame.

Or perhaps, it was the fact that he had defeated young Takahashi, a youth with amazing power already stronger than many Pros.

Eitherway, it didn't matter.

I was here now.

'Don't worry, young Takahashi, I'm comi—hmm?'

For a moment, I almost rushed to help young Takahashi, not about to watch one of my students be finished off in front of my eyes.

But before I had the chance to, young Takahashi moved.

He stood, looking barely fazed by his injuries or any pain of the sort. He simply brushed the dust off his clothes with all the calm of the world, and then looked at the villain.

—BOOOM!—

Only to shoot a surge of energy toward him before I could even process it, and send the villain flying away until he crashed into the landslide zone, embedding him into the mountains and causing a small explosion of dust and rock.

My eyes widened at the sight.

That much force… it was unbelievable. Far beyond anything he had shown during the combat exercises.

And yet, as if nothing had happened, he calmly turned away from the direction he had sent his opponent, retrieved the clothes he had apparently left on the ground not too far away, and calmly walked toward the base of the stairs.

And that's when he saw me.

Our eyes met. I was too stunned to say something, so for a moment, only silence passed between us.

And then, just for a moment, I saw it.

Challenge.

Combined with the dozens of unconscious villains scattered behind him, the destruction across the facility, what I had just witnessed, and the faint crimson wisps of energy still clinging to him, a wry laugh escaped my mouth.

"I see… So that's why the principal mentioned him."

After our first class, I had assumed the principal's reason for mentioning him was only due to young Takahashi's Quirk.

With power like that, it would've made sense. It was a one-in-a-million Quirk.

No, maybe even more.

But now, I realized I had missed the larger picture entirely.

This boy… was truly strong. Not just in terms of his Quirk.

Even without witnessing the full battle, his battered yet steady stance, the blood staining him, the sheer number of defeated villains, and the level of power he had just wielded, they all told me everything I had to know.

This wasn't mere strength. It was experience, combat instincts, courage—and from what I just saw in his eyes, ambition, too.

And he was only fifteen.

My gaze briefly shifted to young Midoriya, who watched him with unmistakable awe, and a bit of apprehension too.

Compared to him, young Midoriya was clearly lacking. The ten months we spent training were in no way enough to reach the boy's level.

It'd be a long, long time before that happened.

And what now worried me most, with competition like that, the goal I had given young Midoriya of succeeding me would only crush him with someone like that constantly by his side.

... Although perhaps it wasn't that bad a thing.

If the two pushed each other forward, maybe they'd reach levels even I never reached.

Although for that, a lot of pain awaited.

'It seems my student's path is full of hardship ahead.' I thought wryly.

Once again, I turned to young Takahashi, who was now climbing the stairs with a composed and steady pace, his eyes deadset on the top.

Whether the top of the stairs… or me, I don't know.

Maybe even both.

He sure is one scary boy.

…

°

°

°

| Third Person POV: |

…

While Taka climbed the stairs at a deliberate pace, several figures entered through the facility gate.

"...!"

Hearing them arrive, everyone already there turned, quickly recognizing the arrivals as U.A.'s teachers, already geared up and ready for combat.

Midnight, Cementoss, Snipe. Power Loader, Present Mic, and several others who were, of course, very relevant to the show.

And, Nezu.

Along with them stood Iida, chest puffed out slightly, pride clear on his face at having successfully brought reinforcements.

"I HAVE RETURNED WITH… help?" His enthusiasm died as he sensed the somewhat calm air around.

"Hm?" Present Mic raised an eyebrow as he spotted the Number One Hero standing calmly at the top of the stairs. "All Might already got here."

"Did he already deal with the threat then?" Cementoss asked, noting how the students were unharmed—and how both Thirteen and Aizawa remained behind him, relatively composed.

The air felt far too calm for a battlefield that had just been invaded by what their student had described as hundreds of villains.

Naturally, everyone assumed that calm came from All Might's presence.

—Step—

At least, until someone finished climbing the stairs.

A figure stepped into view.

And several teachers flinched.

"…!"

Bloody clothes. Disheveled hair. A torn, ragged costume. Eyes fixed forward with a dead seriousness that made more than one flinch.

For a brief moment, some of the staff mistook him for a villain, making their postures shift to one of readiness for combat. The pressure around him made it hard to think otherwise.

But before anyone could act rashly, Nezu raised a paw.

"Calm down, everyone," the principal said calmly. Then he smiled with a hint of self-mockery. "It seems we are already too late,"

"Principal?" Snipe asked, squinting. "What do you mean?"

The rat gestured toward the figure, smiling softly.

"I mean, our student seems to have already taken care of everything."

""Student?!""

The reaction was immediate.

Teachers turned, reassessing the newcomer—and the pieces began to fall into place.

His battered appearance, Nezu's words, All Might's lack of action, and nearly a hundred villains sprawled unconscious across the facility.

It soon clicked for them.

The one who had stopped the attack hadn't been the Symbol of Peace.

It had been a student… a very villain-looking one.

Allegedly, the blood added the most villainous part. The edginess just complemented it.

'A student was the one who dealt with all this?!' Many teachers thought, eyes widening in shock.

Ignoring the stares, Taka walked forward until he stood before All Might.

"Young Takahashi…" All Might hesitated, clearly at a loss about what to say regarding what happened. Part of him wanted to ask what had happened, to comment on his strength, to pat his shoulder for protecting his classmates and teachers.

But in the end, there was one matter that took priority over all those.

"Are you alright? Were you injured?" He asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Given the amount of blood on him, the concern was more than justified.

Taka, however, just shot him a dismissive glance.

"Just some scratches. These guys were too weak to achieve more than that."

All Might genuinely didn't know how to respond to that.

"I suggest you go secure them," Taka added calmly, loud enough for the other teachers to hear as well, jerking a thumb toward the unconscious villains. "Before they wake up."

The teachers followed his gesture, then, after seemingly thinking it over for a second, they nodded to one another and moved out without argument.

Meanwhile, Taka walked past All Might and toward his classmates.

As he did, the blood and dust coating his clothes faded away, vanishing as if he were a game character, and blood textures reached their time limit of existence.

What remained after that was a torn—but spotless—uniform.

The class watched him approach in stunned silence.

Then—

"I'm back," he said flatly, as he'd just returned from an errand.

The collective thought was unanimous.

'What the hell is wrong with this guy?'

…

°

°

°

| Minutes later… |

…

Soon after, the police arrived, and the villains were loaded onto prison transport buses.

Questions were inevitable after an incident of this scale.

Naturally, more than a few eyebrows rose when it came out that Taka had held the villains off on his own. Still, after All Might's pleas, the students were allowed to leave—on the condition they would be questioned properly at a later date.

So, after a handful of procedures and statements handled by both police and teachers, Class 1-A began boarding the bus.

Taka and Yaoyorozu led the line as class representatives.

As they stepped inside, several gazes landed on Taka—his vice-rep's included—making the atmosphere noticeably awkward.

'I guess this is the price of aura farming,' Taka thought, shaking his head faintly. This was something he'd have to get used to.

He was, afterall, a student, not Batman. Although he would love to just disappear after looking cool to add some mystery and skip awkward moments like this, he simply couldn't.

'At least, not without making it a hundred times more awkward when I inevitably have to return.'

Having such thoughts to distract himself from the constant gazes, eventually, everyone was on board, so both class reps followed.

And sadly for him, the first thing he noticed was that the back seats were already taken.

The only seat remaining was...

"I saved you a spot, Taka!" Kirishima waved enthusiastically from the front rows, two lines of seats facing each other for extra awkwardness.

Taka paused at the entrance, expression flat.

'Is the world punishing me for something?'

"…Thanks."

Grumbling internally but not about to refuse, Taka made his way over and sat beside Kirishima.

Once there, he closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and leaned back—appearing to rest.

That way, if his classmates were sensible, they would know not to bother him. He had, after all, just fought dozens of villains and beaten up a guy able to fight All Might.

And it seemed he was right, while they waited for the bus to get on its way, no one said a thing save for some small whispers every now and then across the bus.

But even if they didn't say anything—

'I can feel their gazes piercing my skull.' Taka thought wryly.

He could feel it.

Their curiosity. They wanted to ask. Midoriya, in particular, probably wanted to give one of his commentaries.

'This wouldn't be happening in the back,' Taka thought grimly. 'I miss you, Tokoyami. You and your blessed silence.'

"Man… you're really strong," Kirishima's voice suddenly cut through the tense air.

"...?" Taka cracked one eye open and glanced at his seat neighbor.

"The difference between you and us is insane," Kirishima continued, fist clenching. "Today, we couldn't do anything. Honestly… I think I even made things worse. Thirteen couldn't defend properly because we were in the way. If you hadn't been there, everything would've gone exactly how the villains planned."

"Come on, man," Sato spoke up from further down the bus. "Don't say it like that."

"It's true!" Kirishima shot back. "Bakugo and I both just made things worse!"

A sharp click of a tongue echoed somewhere on the bus.

But even he didn't refute the words.

Silence stretched. No one could say a thing because Kirishima was right about their earlier screw-up. Anything they said would just be empty words of comfort.

At least, until Taka's voice cut through the tension, his voice unbothered by the heavy tone of the conversation.

"Then do better next time."

Kirishima blinked in surprise, turning toward him.

Taka hadn't moved, still sitting in the same meditative posture.

"If you messed up, learn from it," he continued. "That's it."

"But—it wasn't just a mistake," Kirishima protested, his voice rising. "This was real danger. What we did was—"

"Do you think I'm weak?" Taka interrupted.

That alone threw Kirishima off.

"N-no?"

"Then what danger are you talking about?" Taka asked again, eyes still closed.

"What?"

"You think it was dangerous, but it was never so. Do you know why?"

"Uh..."

"Because I'm strong," Taka answered for him, eyes glinting red slightly. "And therefore, so long as I'm here, no screw-up will be fatal, and no situation dangerous,"

Then, Taka closed his eyes again, relaxing in his seat. "So learn and improve. Rely on that for now."

Then, after a pause, he opened one eye once more.

"Then maybe one day, you'll be the one backing me up when I make a mistake."

Kirishima's eyes widened.

He looked at his clenched fist, opened it, and re-clenched it once more. This time, without frustration, but with determination

"Alright… I'm fired up already!"

"The fight is already over, though, Kirishima-kun," Asui pointed out calmly.

"No, I mean fired up for tomorrow. And the day after that. Not, like, right now. Although I am fired up right now too—just, you know—"

"Motivation fades," Kaminari said with a grin. "You sure you'll still feel like that tomorrow?"

"It would be unnmanly to not do so!" Kirishima shot back without hesitation.

As the conversation around the bus lightened, Taka huffed quietly through his nose.

'So much resistance built up against edginess, yet corny stuff still makes me want to curl up and die,' his inner self groaned, mentally slamming its head against a mental wall after that little speech.

Still, it worked. Kirishima looked better already, and as much as Taka wanted to disappear into a corner, he had to admit it.

'Guess this is just part of the job when you live in a shonen anime,' he thought, letting out a quiet sigh. 'Being a cornball.'

As he thought so, the bus suddenly started humming, the driver's cabin closing not long after.

Soon after, the bus began departing, back to U.A., while everyone chatted and Taka calmly rested in his seat.

But as the bus departed, Taka's eyes opened.

Leaning back, he turned his gaze to the window behind him, looking out at the massive USJ facility as it faded into the distance.

Far near the entrance, he spotted the Nomu being transported in heavy restraints toward a vehicle clearly designed for something much larger than a normal criminal.

He recalled their fight.

Today, he was able to once again get a proper grasp of where he stood in the food chain of this world.

Unlike with Gigantomachia, here he was not overwhelmed. Although he didn't dominate outright, he wouldn't call it a fierce fight either.

He ignored many obvious weaknesses of the Nomu throughout their fight, such as what would probably happen if he damaged the exposed brain, cut its head off, or just went for the kill rather than submission, as he did by solely cutting the guy's legs and arms off.

Which was pretty gruesome, he had to admit. He could still feel some gazes around, probably bothered by that.

Fortunately, its regeneration had lessened the shock, even if slightly. So they hadn't outright brought it up.

Though the police would certainly do.

'So much trouble just for not outright evaporating him with a blast of aura.' Taka sighed.

Considering all the consequences coming for his ass later, Taka almost felt this hadn't been worth it.

The watchers at that time had only been his classmates and teachers, after all. The effort-aura gain ratio wasn't very balanced.

But there's a reason he only almost felt it hadn't been worth it.

His eyes drifted upward—to the top of the USJ dome.

There, a figure stood with its cape flowing, arms crossed as the sunlight hit it head-on.

"…What the hell is he doing?" Taka deadpanned.

The figure turned.

And then, it took something out of its robes, flashing it to Taka, along with a thumbs up.

A camera.

For once, a full smile spread across Taka's face.

The reason he hadn't outright cheesed the Nomu, why he hadn't held him in the air, attacked the brain, or tried to kill him in general... was because of that.

The incident would go viral in the media after this, that was for sure. And when a literal footage of him fighting the villains went out...

"Heh." He let out a quiet laugh.

The food chain hierarchy would be moving once again.

…

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-To Be Continued...-

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(A/N: Sorry for the extra-long wait, I was a tad busy these days and couldn't find much time to write. But I'm now back in my abode, and should be a lot more comfortable while writing, and have plenty of free time ahead from now on to do so, so I'll try to pick up the pace like in ancient times.)

 

[Laath-]

Nice to see this back.

 

[TheDanny]

I love this fic. Wonder how they're gonna justify how someone got footage of the entire fight.

He obviously won't announce it was him, but I wonder what conclusion the staff and police will come to. Maybe one of the villains was planning to film All Might's death, and only came out with this?

 

[Despacitoleo]

AHHHHH HELL YEAH HE RECORDED IT HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA