Chapter 61: Shadows After the Storm

Smoke lingered in the shattered street as silence settled over the battlefield. The once-bustling underground district lay in ruins—walls crumbled, windows shattered, and jagged cracks veining the pavement. The battle was over, but the weight of what had just transpired hung thick in the air, pressing down on everyone like a suffocating fog.

Reiji stood still, chest heaving, eyes locked on Midoriya's unconscious form. He watched as Aizawa knelt beside the boy and Eri, checking their vitals with a practiced calm. Eri lay motionless in his arms, her horn now dark and inert, her small chest rising and falling in shallow breaths.

Todoroki approached slowly, his right side scorched and left side bloodied. The fabric of his uniform was torn in several places, and his arms bore signs of frostbite and burn scars—evidence of just how far he'd pushed himself.

"Is he breathing?" Todoroki asked quietly.

Aizawa nodded. "He's alive. Just unconscious. His body took massive strain. But thanks to Eri's Quirk, there's no permanent damage."

Nighteye was nearby, cradling Eri's small figure with rare gentleness. "She's asleep now. Burnt out. It's a miracle she held on that long."

Reiji exhaled heavily and dropped to one knee. Sweat rolled down his face. His whole body trembled—not just from the pain, but from the sheer gravity of what had happened.

[System Alert: Synchronization Level Increasing...] [Passive Upgrade Acquired – Reflex Calibration Enhanced. Precision increased by 12%.]

Reiji stared at the translucent notification that flashed across his vision.

"Another upgrade," he muttered under his breath. "Is it ever going to slow down...?"

He clenched his fist. The flames within him still responded, more fluidly than ever before. He could feel the difference—his body moving in tandem with his thoughts more intuitively. His clones were starting to react before he consciously directed them.

Just then, Hawks landed beside him, his feathers wilting and wings flaring slightly to slow his descent.

"You burned bright out there, kid," Hawks said, placing a hand on Reiji's shoulder. "But this? This is just one step. We've all still got a long way to go."

Reiji gave him a slight nod, the adrenaline slowly fading. His vision swept over the ruined cityscape, heart pounding with residual tension.

Sirens echoed in the distance. Pro Hero backup teams swarmed the area, some securing the wounded, others inspecting Overhaul's collapsed form. Reinforced cuffs and Quirk-nullifying restraints were locked onto his remaining limbs, and two reinforced stretchers were prepped for transport.

"He's stable," one of the field medics called out. "Keep him under surveillance until the transport unit arrives."

A pro hero commander stepped forward. "We'll take it from here. The area is under lockdown. Civilians have been evacuated."

Reiji slowly got back on his feet. His legs wobbled but held. Around him, the aftermath was overwhelming—entire buildings reduced to rubble, the road gouged with massive craters, power lines sagging, flickering with disrupted energy.

He looked to where Midoriya and Eri lay. Despite everything, they were still breathing. Still here.

"That kid's something else," Reiji murmured.

Todoroki stepped up beside him, bruised and battered but upright. "We all saw it. He went beyond what any of us thought was possible."

Reiji nodded slowly. "But at what cost?"

Aizawa looked back at the two of them. "Let's regroup. Medics are on standby. Recovery Girl's already prepping to receive Midoriya and Eri."

Reiji and Todoroki began walking. The sound of boots crunching over shattered stone echoed behind them. They passed by shattered storefronts, a wrecked traffic light lying twisted in the road, and the burnt-out shell of an overturned car.

Reiji paused, taking one last glance at the crater where Overhaul had fallen. Despite everything, something deep inside him didn't feel settled. Like the storm wasn't fully gone.

Then, elsewhere—

Far beyond the city, in a dimly lit surveillance room tucked deep inside an abandoned building, a monitor flickered to life.

A figure sat in silence, watching footage from a drone feed.

They zoomed in on the image of Eri, unconscious in Nighteye's arms.

"So... they stopped him. But the girl... she still lives."

A pale hand covered in scars gripped the armrest tightly. A faint hum of power vibrated from the monitor.

"Interesting," the voice rasped, low and amused.

The screen froze on Midoriya's image.

"We'll be meeting very soon."

End of Chapter 61

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