Chapter 40: That Figure Who Crossed Through Space

"League of Villains…"

Gently setting Konata down onto the ground, Izuku Midoriya immediately took a defensive stance, his whole body tensing as if facing an imminent crisis.

No matter the reason—he had no intention of running away.

"Tch… what a pain."

Konata squinted toward the front, the pain coursing through her like a tidal wave making it hard to even keep her eyes open.

The biggest threat, the Nomu, had already been dealt with. All that remained were two shady-looking villains. And Izuku… well, he was the protagonist. Against two enemies whose Quirks were already somewhat known, he should be able to hold on until reinforcements arrived… right?

"Izuku, that freak covered in hands—his Quirk likely involves disintegration. Whatever you do, don't let him touch you. And the other guy—the warping one—his teleportation has a delay before activation. If you're alert, you can—"

Before she could finish, the words caught in her throat. Konata's eyes widened, her mind going blank at the scene before her.

Izuku's pupils also shrank in disbelief.

Behind the black mist and the hand-covered villain, two more Nomus emerged from the swirling, distorted fog—just slightly smaller than the one Konata had incinerated.

"If you killed the Nomu we had prepared to face All Might, then you'll just have to replace it. I'm sure Sensei would love to turn you into a new one."

Tomura Shigaraki's gaze cut past Izuku, landing squarely on the wounded girl lying on the ground. His lips curled into a sick grin.

"How many more times can you pull off that same trick? I've got plenty of Nomus here!"

So they can mass-produce those monsters…!?

Staring at the two new threats, Konata's head buzzed with disbelief. This is seriously rigged.

She was a model citizen, a proud winner of "Student of the Year," "Model Youth," "Honest Finder," and "Helpful Samaritan" awards. Even here, in this world, she hadn't caused much trouble—aside from destroying thirty vending machines and blacking out an entire city block while testing Railgun tech…

Okay, maybe that last one.

But still, did she really deserve this!?

Maybe these guys were playing ranked in a net café when the blackout hit, and they lost their match? That'd be petty revenge!

If she got turned into one of those grotesque Nomus…

Konata shivered.

"Two of them…"

Sweat dripped from Izuku's forehead as he glanced back at Konata, who was sitting frozen in place. His teeth clenched hard.

If I go all out with One For All, maybe I can grab her and run. These new Nomus look weaker. If I'm fast enough—

"I can still go a hundred more rounds."

Konata's calm voice rang out behind him.

"Just because I can't move doesn't mean I can't fight, you know. Weren't you the one who thought breaking my limbs would take me out of the game? And yet, here I am. If not for Izuku back then, you wouldn't even be standing here now."

Her head lowered slightly, hiding her eyes in the shadow of her bangs.

"So tell me, Shigaraki—was it Nomus who gave you the courage to stand in front of me and talk trash?"

"Shigaraki… we should be cautious. She doesn't look as helpless as she seems!"

Kurogiri, the warping villain, immediately felt a sense of foreboding. He knew Tomura well—and he could tell something was off.

"If All Might shows up now and we've already lost our Nomu, we're in trouble…"

Yes! That's right! Run while you still can!

Konata's mind reeled, struggling to stay conscious through the blood loss. If it weren't for her stubborn will, she would've blacked out already. But even so, she couldn't hold on much longer.

If it were just the two villains, Izuku might've had a chance. But now, with two more Nomus—he wouldn't stand a chance.

From where she lay, she could see Izuku's body trembling slightly. But he hadn't stepped back once.

If I can just bluff them long enough…

But Konata didn't know the kind of enemy she was facing.

"So what? Let All Might come. Even without that Nomu, I'll kill him myself!"

Shigaraki scratched at his neck in irritation, voice icy, with a dangerous edge of madness.

"Why'd you have to interfere!? Everything was going perfectly! Everything was planned! You—YOU RUINED IT!! YOU DESERVE TO DIE!!"

Oh no…

Watching the two Nomus charge, Konata's heart plummeted. Even if her passive electromagnetic field was off cooldown, it could only block one hit. And two Nomus were charging her at once!?

What kind of grudge do you people have against me!?

BOOM!!

Just as Izuku launched forward to intercept, the massive metal doors at the entrance exploded open with a thunderous crash.

Dust and debris flew everywhere. And then—

A figure burst through the smoke, appearing as if from another dimension, landing in front of Konata and Izuku in the blink of an eye.

With no wasted motion, he threw a punch straight at the charging Nomus.

WHAM!!

The sheer force of it sent both Nomus flying dozens of meters away. The ground trembled.

"You're safe now."

The towering form of All Might, over two meters tall, stood like an immovable wall between the two students and their enemies. His deep voice echoed across the battlefield.

His eyes swept over Konata's battered form and the scorched battlefield. The aura around him surged. Muscles bulged under his suit as rage and regret burned behind his usually smiling face.

There was no grin now—just clenched teeth and fury.

Slowly, he reached up, adjusted his tie, and fixed his cosmic-blue eyes squarely on Tomura and Kurogiri.

"…Because I am here!!!"