26: Hell Unleashed

The U.A. Sports Festival was in full swing, with the stadium teeming with energy. Spectators filled the stands, cheering for their favorite students as the first event commenced: the Obstacle Course Race. This race was a grueling test of Quirks, strategy, and endurance, spanning a challenging 4-kilometer track encircling the stadium.

Midnight, the R-Rated Hero and event announcer, stood poised with her signature whip. 

"Students, take your positions!" she commanded, her sultry voice resonating through the arena.

The students lined up, determination etched on their faces.

"Ready! GO!" 

Midnight's whip cracked through the air, signaling the start.

Todoroki wasted no time. With a swift motion, he slammed his right foot down, releasing a massive wave of ice that surged forward, freezing the ground and immobilizing many competitors.

As he advanced, Todoroki reflected on his actions. 

'Sorry Everyone'

'But I can't afford to hold back' he thought. 

'I need to show my old man and myself that I can be strong with only my ice-side'

The first major obstacle loomed ahead: a blockade of giant robots, remnants from the Entrance Exam. These towering machines posed a significant threat to the racers.

Todoroki approached with precision. He extended his left hand, releasing a concentrated blast of ice that froze the nearest robot solid. With a swift kick, the frozen machine shattered, clearing his path.

Bakugo, not to be outdone, propelled himself into the air using his Explosion Quirk.

 "Damn Half-and-Half Bastard!"he growled. 

"I won't let you outshine me!"

Midoriya, observing the scene, strategized. 

"I can't use my Quirk recklessly.". 

Spotting a discarded metal panel, he seized it, using it as a makeshift shield to maneuver through the debris and evade the robots.

The next challenge was a deep chasm spanned by precarious ropes. Balance and agility were crucial here.

Todoroki crafted an ice bridge, gliding across effortlessly. 

Bakugo opted for aerial maneuvers, using controlled explosions to propel himself over the gap.

Midoriya, recalling his training, utilized the metal panel as a surfboard, sliding across the ropes with careful balance. 

The final stretch featured a vast minefield, each step a potential explosion. This segment required both caution and creativity.

Todoroki and Bakugo navigated with calculated movements, avoiding detonations. Midoriya, however, devised a bold plan. He collected several mines, stacking them beneath his metal panel.

"Here goes nothing." he whispered. Stomping on the stack, the combined explosion launched him skyward, propelling him ahead of his rivals.

As the finish line approached, the competition intensified. Bakugo and Todoroki were neck-and-neck, their rivalry evident.

Midoriya's unconventional tactic paid off. He soared past his classmates, landing just in time to cross the finish line first.

"Nani?!" - Everyone

As Midoriya crossed the finish line, the stadium erupted into a mix of stunned silence and deafening cheers. For a moment, even the students couldn't process what had just happened. Then, the reactions flooded in.

Bakugo's furious roar echoed through the arena as he clenched his fists, his face twisted in disbelief. "DAMN NERD! HOW?!"

Todoroki, who had been certain of his own victory, narrowed his eyes, analyzing the outcome. "He didn't even use his Quirk and yet he still won."

Uraraka jumped up in excitement, waving her arms. "Midoriya! That was amazing!"

Iida adjusted his glasses, still processing the strategy Midoriya had used. "To think you managed to outmaneuver all of us— You continue to surprise me, Midoriya!"

Kaminari scratched his head. "Okay, seriously, how did that just happen? I thought Bakugo or Todoroki had this in the bag."

Kirishima, grinning, patted Midoriya's back. "That was so manly! You charged through everything head-on!"

Mineta muttered under his breath,

"If he keeps this up, girls might actually notice him…"

While Aoyama dramatically twirled, pointing at Midoriya.

"Ohoho~! Your victory sparkles as brilliantly as moi!"

Up in the stands, the pro heroes observed with intrigue. All Might's smile widened slightly as he watched his successor rise to the challenge.

Amidst the crowd of pro heroes observing the event, Hoshigami Enrai stood with a composed demeanor. His keen senses detected subtle fluctuations in the surrounding space, a faint disturbance that others seemed oblivious to.

"Anomalies in the spatial field?" Enrai pondered. 

"Something—or someone—is causing minor distortions. But the race concluded without incident. Still, it's worth observing."

With the Obstacle Course Race concluded, Midnight addressed the students once more. 

"Congratulations to all who advanced! Prepare yourselves for the next challenge: the Cavalry Battle!"

The participants exchanged glances, alliances forming in hushed whispers. The festival's intensity was only beginning to escalate.

The excitement in the stadium was palpable. The first event had concluded, and the tension only escalated as the students gathered in the center of the arena, awaiting the second round of the Sports Festival—the Cavalry Battle.

Midnight stood before the competitors, her confident smirk unwavering as she raised her signature riding crop. 

"Now, for the next event—the Cavalry Battle! This is where things get even more interesting!"

A large digital screen above the stadium flickered to life, displaying the rankings from the Obstacle Course Race. Names shuffled and settled in their respective positions, revealing the most crucial piece of information:

Izuku Midoriya – 1st Place: 10,000,000 Points

The air in the stadium shifted immediately. Whispers rippled through the students like a wave, eyes widening as they processed what they had just seen.

"A ten-million-point headband?!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.

"Holy crap! That means if you take him down, you're guaranteed a spot in the next round!"

Midoriya himself felt his stomach sink as he read the board. 

"Wha—?! Ten million points?! That's insane!" he muttered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Katsuki Bakugo grinned, his sharp teeth glinting. "Heh, you better start running, Deku."

Todoroki, standing to the side, narrowed his eyes. 

"This just means you'll have every student here chasing after you."

Midnight continued, 

"The rules are simple! Form teams of two to four people and carry your rider. The goal? Steal as many headbands as you can within the time limit! But remember, if your rider touches the ground, your team is out!"

The students immediately broke off, scrambling to form alliances. Midoriya, still in shock, quickly realized that he needed strong teammates if he had any hope of surviving. He turned to Uraraka, Iida, and Hatsume, his mind racing with strategies.

"Uraraka!" Midoriya called. "Will you—"

But before he could finish, something changed.

The Sky Darkens——

A sudden shift in the atmosphere sent a chill through the stadium. The bright blue sky, clear just moments ago, darkened with an unnatural speed. Thick, rolling clouds gathered overhead, swallowing the sunlight in a suffocating gray mass.

The moment the sky darkened, an unnatural stillness spread through the stadium. The once vibrant energy of the crowd dulled as an eerie silence settled over them. A foreboding sense of dread weighed heavy in the air, thick and suffocating.

All Might, seated among the pro heroes, felt his expression harden. His instincts, honed through years of battle, screamed at him. This wasn't just a passing storm. Something was wrong.

A few seats away, Hoshigami Enrai stood motionless. Unlike the others, who were merely unsettled, he knew this wasn't natural. A ripple in the air—subtle, almost imperceptible—brushed against his senses. It was not just a change in the weather. It was something else.

'Something is coming.'

"What's going on?" Uraraka muttered, glancing up.

Midnight frowned. "Was this a part of the festival?"

Present Mic, up in the announcer's booth, adjusted his glasses. 

"Uh, folks, we might be experiencing some weird weather! But don't worry! The U.A. Sports Festival always continues, rain or shine!"

The cheering continued.

However, this was not just a change in weather.

Without warning, the air itself began to shimmer and bend at multiple locations. 

Dark, warped distortions formed in the sky and across the city beyond the stadium walls. They were like rifts—tearing into the fabric of reality, shifting unnaturally as if something was trying to force its way through.

The crowd murmured uneasily, their cheers dying down as fear crept into their voices.

Enrai, standing among the pro heroes, narrowed his eyes. His senses flared, picking up massive shifts in energy. 

Todoroki clenched his fists. "Those look similar to the portals from the USJ attack."

All Might, who had been watching the festival with a smile, suddenly stiffened. His sharp eyes locked onto the growing distortions.

Then, from the depths of the portals, came an ominous sound. A deep, guttural echo, like the growl of something immense something monstrous.

Everyone thought that the weather condition and the distortion only happened over the Sport Festival Stadium but,

The sky over whole of Japan darkened ominously, an unnatural gloom settling over its major cities—Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Sapporo, and Nagoya. 

As civilians looked upward in confusion and growing curiosity , distorted portals began to materialize, their warped forms pulsating with malevolent energy. 

"What is happening?"

"Some Hero exercise going on or what?"

But soon these murmurs turned into screams as ,

From these rifts emerged hordes of villains, their eyes gleaming with intent to sow chaos and destruction.

Chaos Had Begun.

—Flashback: All For One's Machinations—-

In the dimly lit depths of a concealed stronghold, three formidable figures stood before a singular throne. Re-Destro, the influential leader of the Meta Liberation Army; Nine, a man engineered to possess multiple Quirks; and Overhaul, the meticulous and ruthless head of the Shie Hassaikai. 

Each bore the weight of their own ambitions and grudges, yet all found themselves summoned by the same enigmatic force.

All For One, the orchestrator of countless calamities, reclined in his throne, his presence suffocating and absolute. Though his face remained obscured by his life-sustaining mask, the sheer force of his will was palpable.

"You each harbor desires that have been thwarted." All For One began, his voice a velvety menace. 

"Re-Destro, your vision of a society where Quirks run free; Nine, your quest for unparalleled power; and Overhaul, your dream to restore the Yakuza's former glory."

"But why would we take orders from you? When we can achieve it ourselves." Re-Destro spoke as he was not the one to take orders from someone who he didn't even know or heard of.

Though , Nine and Overhaul were silent they somehow acknowledged Re-Destro's words.

Now , 

All for one spoke , not with rage or force, but with a presence so suffocating it made even the strongest feel like mere insects in his gaze.

"You will serve." he had said, his voice smooth, measured, undeniable.

Re-Destro, once the proud leader of the Liberation Army, had clenched his fists, his lips twitching as he struggled against the primal fear that clawed at him. 

Nine had instinctively braced himself, feeling his stolen Quirks react in distress to the presence before him. Overhaul, even in his arrogance, had felt his throat tighten.

"Or you will be erased." All For One continued, his tone not changing in the slightest.

There was no further negotiation, no discussion. It was not an offer. It was a command.

And so, now, they moved as his instruments of destruction, leading their forces into battle, spreading terror with every step.

———-Present————-

All across Japan, the emergency broadcasts blared, the Hero Public Safety Commission in disarray. The sheer scale of the attack was unlike anything before.

As the portals disgorged waves of villains into the heart of Japan's urban centers, pandemonium erupted. Re-Destro led his Meta Liberation Army into Osaka, their sheer numbers overwhelming local heroes. Buildings burned as civilians fled in terror.

In Fukuoka, Nine unleashed his formidable Quirks, decimating any opposition. His enhanced abilities made him a near-unstoppable force, and the city's defenders found themselves outmatched and outgunned.

Overhaul's presence in Nagoya was marked by calculated brutality. His subordinates dismantled the city's infrastructure with surgical precision, instilling fear through displays of merciless efficiency.

Each one of them were lent dozens of nomu(s) under their command to cause mass destruction and casualties.

 In Hosu, in Fukuoka, in Tokyo, in Osaka—screams filled the streets as villains poured out of the portals like a relentless flood. Each portal delivered destruction, unleashing chaos upon an unsuspecting world.

The Slaughter continued.

Far from the urban chaos,

Tartarus Prison stood as a bastion of containment for the nation's most dangerous criminals. Its formidable defenses were legendary, designed to withstand any assault. Yet, they had not anticipated an onslaught of this magnitude.

From the churning sea, more than a hundred Nomus emerged—grotesque amalgamations of flesh and power, each a testament to dark experimentation. They swarmed the prison's perimeter, their combined might breaching its once-impenetrable walls.

Within the fortress, alarms blared as guards scrambled to respond. Automated turrets fired relentlessly, but for every Nomu felled, two more seemed to take its place. The prison's reinforced gates buckled under the relentless assault.

Blood colored the black walls of the prison as the nomus mercilessly tore through the guards and the heroes alike.

In the chaos, cells were breached, and prisoners long thought neutralized stirred. Muscular, Moonfish, and other notorious villains tasted freedom once more, their sinister grins illuminated by the facility's flickering emergency lights.

Meanwhile ,

——-The Sports Festival——

Back at U.A. High School's Sports Festival, the atmosphere of celebration had turned to one of dread. The sudden darkening of the sky and the appearance of portals signaled an impending threat.

From these rifts, Nomus emerged, their forms casting long shadows over the festival grounds. Students and spectators alike screamed, scrambling for safety.

Pro Heroes in attendance sprang into action. Eraserhead's scarf lashed out, restraining one of the creatures, while Present Mic's amplified voice sent shockwaves through the ranks of the invaders. 

Hoshigami Enrai stood at the ready, his eyes narrowing as he prepared to confront the abominations.

All Might, sensing the gravity of the situation, clenched his fists. 

"Young heroes!" he bellowed, "evacuate the civilians! Leave these creatures to us!"

Midoriya, Bakugo, Todoroki, and their classmates nodded in unison, their training kicking in as they guided panicked attendees to safety.

Suddenly,

Emergency distress signals flooded the stadium's communication system. Nezu, seated in the control center with several staff members, watched in horror as reports poured in.

"Villains have appeared in Hosu!"

"Tokyo is under attack! Multiple agencies requesting backup!"

"Fukuoka—heroes are being slaughtered!"

"They've breached Tartarus Prison—Nomus—hundreds of them—"

"They are butchering everyone! Request for Backup"

Beep-Beep

The signals continued.

The stadium trembled as heroes scrambled to respond.

"This isn't an attack. This is a war."- A Hero muttered in disbelief.

Vlad exhaled slowly before speaking, his voice grave.

"Japan has fallen."