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Chapter 20 - Chapter 20 - Resolve (USJ INCIDENT III)

"Your time is up." 

Tomura Shigaraki, his disheveled grayish-white hair hanging limply over his pallid face, fixed Eraserhead with a gaze as sharp as shattered glass. His unsettling red eyes burned with manic intensity beneath the grotesque mask of desiccated hands clinging to his skin. Dressed in a tattered black hoodie adorned with severed hands, he was the embodiment of decay itself. His Quirk, *Decay*, granted him the power to reduce anything he touched with all five fingers to dust—an ability that made him a nightmarish and merciless opponent. 

Shigaraki clawed at his neck compulsively, his teeth grinding beneath the macabre hand obscuring his face. Without warning, he lunged forward, his outstretched fingers aimed at Eraserhead's face—intent on turning the hero into nothing more than a crumbling memory. 

At the last possible moment, Eraserhead's eyes flashed crimson beneath his goggles, his *Erasure* Quirk instantly nullifies Shigaraki's power. 

"Huh?" Shigaraki's eyes widened in disbelief. Even in his battered state, Eraserhead had managed to suppress his ability. 

Kwaah! 

Eraserhead coughed up a mouthful of blood, his gaze unyielding as he maintained eye contact, ensuring Shigaraki remained powerless. But in his focus, he had forgotten the monstrous presence looming behind Shigaraki—the creature that had emerged from the swirling purple mist. 

"Nomu!"

At Shigaraki's command, the hulking humanoid beast stirred to life, its blank eyes locking onto its prey. 

With a bone-chilling screech, the Nomu struck—its movements a blur of inhuman speed. Eraserhead barely had time to register the attack before the world around him exploded into pain. 

Boom!

One moment, he was standing; the next, he was airborne, blood spraying from his mouth, nose, and eyes before his body crashed violently into the unforgiving ground. 

"Last boss, you say? Don't make me laugh, Eraserhead." Shigaraki sneered, idly flexing his fingers as he advanced toward the fallen hero. 

--- 

[Landslide Zone]

Shin and Momo sprang into action, their backs pressed together as they faced the encroaching horde of villains. "Just how many of them are there?" Momo panted, her chest heaving with exertion. 

"Doesn't matter—we fight!" Shin snarled, pivoting to deliver a crushing kick to the villain behind Momo, sending him skidding across the rubble. Thin, razor-sharp strings spiraled from his fingertips, coiling around him like a living weapon. 

Before Momo could steady herself, a new threat emerged—a lithe, towering figure who moved with lethal precision. In one fluid motion, he slit the nearest villain's throat, his dagger glinting crimson under the dim light. 

"Huh?!" Shin's breath hitched. "Who the hell are you?" 

"Nel-sama!" The surrounding villains chorused, parting like shadows to let their leader pass. 

"Greetings, young heroes," Nel-sama drawled, his voice as cold as his hollow, Aizawa-like eyes. "I am the one and only Nel-sama." 

"What do you want?" Momo demanded, her fists clenching at her sides. 

"To exterminate you vermin—and the so-called Symbol of Peace you worship." 

Rage ignited within Shin like wildfire. Teeth bared, he charged without hesitation, abandoning strategy in his fury. 

"I'll deal with him. Kill the girl," Nel commanded, his smirk widening as he met Shin's assault head-on. 

Their fists collided with a thunderous crack. Nel twisted mid-motion, driving a brutal kick toward Shin's ribs—only for Shin to block with his forearms. 'I need to end this fast and regroup,' Shin thought, his strings writhing around his palms like serpents poised to strike. 

With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a barrage of threads. Nel dodged effortlessly, his smirk never fading as he countered with a devastating punch that sent Shin hurtling backward. The impact rattled his bones as he crashed into the wall, blood spattering from his lips. 

"Damn it… He's too fast," Shin gasped, wiping his mouth. "Momo—NOW!"

Seizing the opening, Momo activated her Quirk, conjuring two flashbang grenades in a burst of light. Shin's strings lashed out, ensnaring them midair—just as his fingers closed around the devices. 

"Cover!" 

Shin hurled the first grenade at Nel and immediately shielded his eyes from the impending blast. 

Arrrgh! 

The explosion engulfed Nel in a searing flash, his vision dissolving into white static. He staggered back, clawing at his face as his eyes burned with disorientation. "Shit! My eyes!" He growled through gritted teeth. 

"Now's my chance." Shin surged forward, his strings lashing out like vipers to ensnare Nel completely. "Next." He pivoted toward Momo, who was fending off the remaining grunts. 

A villain lunged at Momo from behind—only for Shin to intercept with a crushing uppercut that sent the man hurtling backward. 

"String Prison!" 

Shin's threads erupted outward, weaving a razor-thin web that immobilized every villain in an instant. "Struggle, and you'll lose limbs," he warned coldly. 

"Momo, let's move." He seized her wrist, pulling her forward before she could process the contact. 

"His hands… they're softer than I expected," she murmured, cheeks warming. 

"Hm? Say something?"

"N-Nothing!" 

After navigating the wreckage, Todoroki spotted them sprinting. "Class reps," he called flatly. 

Momo whipped her head toward him. "Todoroki!" 

"You two intact?" Todoroki asked, scanning them for injuries. 

"All good," Shin said. "Didn't expect the League's lackeys to be so pathetic." 

Todoroki exhaled. "Agreed. Let's regroup with Aizawa." 

The trio crept toward the plaza's edge, where Eraserhead lay crumpled, blood trickling from his eyes and mouth in thin rivulets. 

"This is bad," Momo whispered, her stomach twisting. 

"Reinforcements aren't here yet. We buy time," Todoroki said, frost already creeping up his right arm. 

"Momo—two more grenades," Shin ordered. 

"R-Right!" She pressed her hands to her torso, the grenades materializing in a shimmer of light. 

"Todoroki, on my count—three… two… one… NOW!" Shin launched skyward. "Momo, cover our retreat!"

"Got it!" 

The grenade detonated midair, engulfing Shigaraki in blinding light. The Nomu recoiled with a guttural shriek—just as Shin dove to seize Eraserhead's limp form. 

"Second one!" Todoroki barked. 

Shin hurled the next grenade, but the Nomu moved faster than their eyes could track, shielding Shigaraki effortlessly. 

"Now!" Todoroki slammed his palm to the ground, encasing the Nomu in a glacier. "Go!" 

They sprinted, Eraserhead slung between them—until a deafening *CRACK* echoed behind them. 

The Nomu shattered the ice with a single punch, its roar shaking the plaza. 

"It… destroyed a glacier in one hit?" Todoroki's composure fractured, his breath hitching. 

With a snarl, he unleashed another ice wave, this time aimed to entomb both beast and master. 

Boom!

Once again, the ice shattered in a single devastating blow. 

"Unbelievable," Shin whispered, sweat trickling down his temples. "Hang on, Sensei. Reinforcements are coming." 

"Put me down, Shin," Eraser Head coughed, splattering blood across his student's uniform. "Your safety comes first—leave me and find cover. I can hold out a little longer." 

"I refuse your refusal. You're coming with me, Sensei. You can't fight in this condition." 

"Let me at least erase their Quirks while you escape," Eraser Head spat another mouthful of blood. "That man—one touch from him is fatal. Don't let him near you." 

"Stop talking, Sensei. And thank you for the warning." Shin adjusted his grip. "Todoroki! Don't let that hand freak touch you—palm contact means instant death!"

"Understood. So that's his Quirk?" Todoroki's breath misted in the cold air. 

"Exactly. Stay sharp." 

"Oi, oi, Eraser Head," Shigaraki taunted, his cracked lips twisting into a grin as he advanced toward Todoroki. **"Pathetic. You think these brats can save you? Watch me slaughter that icy bastard first." 

"You won't lay a finger on him." Todoroki shifted into his battle stance, frost spiraling up his right arm. 

"Nomu—crush him." 

Eraser Head gasped, forcing his Quirk to activate despite his broken body, nullifying the monster's abilities. Todoroki retaliated with a barrage of glacial spears that impaled Nomu's torso. 

"Cheating bastard!" Shigaraki's voice cracked with rage as he veered toward Shin and his burden. "Die!" His decay-cursed fingers stretched toward Shin's back— 

Whizz!

A dagger embedded itself in the ground between them, forcing Shigaraki to recoil. "More pests?" He clawed at his neck, eyes burning crimson. "This is getting tedious."

"Momo, take Aizawa-sensei!" Shin carefully transferred the wounded hero. "I'll handle this."

"Retreat if things turn dire," Momo commanded, her voice steel wrapped in silk. 

"Yes, ma'am."

Shin swallowed hard, sweat stinging his eyes as his fingers twitched. Shigaraki lunged, hands outstretched like a starving predator— 

Whoosh! Shin backflipped, unleashing a volley of needle-thin threads that pierced Shigaraki's thighs. 

"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" 

Spittle flew as Shigaraki swung wildly. Shin sidestepped, flicking his wrists—his strings lashed out like whips, carving a gash across Shigaraki's chest. 

Blood arced through the air. For a heartbeat, Shigaraki stared dumbly at the crimson waterfall staining his shirt— 

"ARRRGH!" His scream ripped through the battlefield as Shin vaulted to safety. 

"NOMU! KILL THEM ALL!"

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