Chapter 131 : An Echo of Hope Amidst the Ruins

My confident declaration echoed in the tense silence of the Mobile Command Center. "She's still alive!"

The technicians and backup pro heroes in the room looked at me with a mixture of disbelief and a slight, hesitant hope. On the main screen, the tactical map showed the sector I was pointing to as a deep red zone, an area structurally considered to be completely annihilated. Sending a team there based on a kid's "feeling" was an act of madness.

Aizawa-sensei was the first to respond through his crackling communicator. His voice, though still filled with pain, was sharp and skeptical. "Tatsumi, are you sure about this? We can't risk more lives on a possibility. How can you know?"

I closed my eyes, trying to focus again on the sensation. It wasn't a vision. It was something more fundamental. A pulse. So weak, so distant, like the heartbeat of a hummingbird trapped under tons of steel and concrete. But it was there, an echo of life that refused to be extinguished.

"I can feel her, Sensei," I replied, my voice filled with a certainty that surprised even myself. "Our powers... they're connected. I know she's there."

In the room, All Might looked at me, then turned to Nezu. "Principal," he said in a hoarse voice, "in the darkest of times, sometimes we have to bet on a miracle. This boy... he has shown us impossible things all day."

Nezu stared at the map, his claws tapping his chin, his super-genius brain processing thousands of variables in a split second. The risk of sending a rescue team into an active collapse zone was immense. But the potential of saving a Top 10 Hero, a pillar of hero society... was also invaluable. And most importantly, he looked at me. He saw the absolute conviction in my eyes. He had gambled this entire operation on my absurd intelligence. He decided to bet one more time.

"Alright," he said, making the entire room hold its breath. "We will launch a secondary rescue operation." He turned to the head of the communication team. "Contact the nearest pro heroes who specialize in search and rescue in disaster areas. I need Edgeshot. I need Mirko. Tell them to head to my location immediately. Time is everything."

He then looked at me. "And you, Tatsumi-kun. You will be their guide."

Deep inside the belly of the ruined mountain, Ryukyu felt her consciousness fading. She was trapped in a small air pocket, her body, returned to its human form, pinned by a large, bent steel beam. Several sharp concrete rebars had pierced her side and leg, causing severe bleeding. The pain was a boundless ocean in which she was drowning. Her powerful dragon form had protected her from the direct impact that would have killed any other hero, but the price of that transformation and her injuries was now demanding payment.

The air was thin and filled with dust. The darkness around her was absolute. She knew she was dying.

As her consciousness began to dim, memories started to flood her. She remembered the first time she decided to become a hero, not for fame or wealth, but because she saw weak people who needed protection, and she had the power to be their shield. She remembered when she founded her agency, a place she wanted to make a home for young heroes who shared the same spirit.

Her thoughts drifted to Nejire. To that girl with spiral energy, whom she had watched grow from an awkward schoolgirl into one of the most powerful young heroes in Japan. She hoped Nejire had made it out. She hoped her sacrifice was not in vain.

And then, her thoughts turned to that strange boy. Tatsumi. The intern who had been her biggest problem and also her most valuable asset. She remembered his crazy story about another world, about a living dragon armor, about a twisted destiny. She had risked her career to trust that boy. And that boy, in turn, had given them the key to bring down an entire army. In the midst of her pain, Ryukyu smiled faintly. That boy... he was a true hero, in the strangest and most unpredictable way.

"You'd better survive this, kid," she whispered to the darkness. "You still owe me a lot of explanations."

With that thought, she used the last remnants of her strength. She couldn't transform. But she could manifest a small part of her Quirk. She focused her energy, and a few thick dragon scales formed around her wounds, acting as an emergency internal bandage to slow the bleeding. It was a desperate act, a final struggle to stay alive. She had to hold on. Her students still needed her.

In another part of the ruined complex, Re-Destro, in his giant, stress-blackened form, was on a rampage. He tore through concrete rubble as if it were cardboard, searching for any signs of hero life.

"SHOW YOURSELVES, YOU OPPRESSORS!" he roared, his horrific voice echoing throughout the ruins. "FACE ME! FACE THE WRATH OF THOSE YOU HAVE TRAMPLED!"

He was a storm of pure rage, but he was also hunting with a purpose. His Stress Quirk didn't just give him strength; it gave him a kind of sense, an ability to feel the strong emotions around him. And he could feel small pockets of a brave 'heroic spirit', refusing to be extinguished. He began to move toward the strongest vibration, toward where Fat Gum's team was struggling to survive.

An hour later, a high-speed hero jet landed near our MCC. From it, two figures emerged. The Ninja Hero, Edgeshot, his thin body radiating an aura of deadly calm. And beside him, the Rabbit Hero, Mirko, who was grinning widely, her powerful muscles seeming to vibrate with anticipation.

"So, this is the party?" Mirko said, stretching her body. "I hear there's a mountain that needs moving."

Nezu quickly briefed them. He explained the situation of the trapped heroes and about our unique sensory asset.

Mirko looked me up and down. "So you're the kid who made a whole mountain collapse?" She laughed out loud. "I like your style, kid! Full of spirit!"

Edgeshot, on the other hand, just looked at me with his sharp eyes. "Are you sure you can guide us?" he asked, his voice as thin as his body. "In there, every meter will be a life-and-death gamble."

"I'm sure," I replied, my voice unwavering.

Our plan was simple because the situation was complex. The three of us would re-enter the collapse zone. I would act as the compass, guiding us straight toward Ryukyu's life signal. Edgeshot would be our navigator, using his Foldabody Quirk to slip through narrow gaps, mapping the safest and most stable route. And Mirko... she would be our battering ram. Whatever we couldn't get through, she would open.

The three of us stood at the edge of the chasm of destruction, looking at the sea of concrete and steel rubble that was once a mountain. The air was still hot from Endeavor's attack, and the ground beneath us still trembled occasionally. This was a suicide mission. But we had no other choice.

Mirko cracked her knuckles, a wide, predatory, and spirited grin etched on her face. She looked at the sea of rubble before us, completely undaunted.

"Alright," she said, her voice filled with a dangerous excitement. "Let's get this party started."