[Time: 11:50 AM][Location: Fukuoka City – Airspace above "La Vue"]
The glass shattered. The world slowed down.
The High-End Nomu, Hood, lunged through the broken window, its massive, muscle-bound arm aiming not for Endeavor, but for the civilians behind him.
"You smell... delicious!" the monster shrieked.
[Aggro Check: Random Target.]
Reiji didn't hesitate. He stepped in front of the cowering waitress.
[Skill: Twilight Guard.]
He raised his left arm. The Twilight Cuirass hummed, projecting a hard-light barrier.
BANG!
The impact was heavy. Reiji's boots skidded backward, carving deep grooves into the expensive parquet floor.
"Endeavor! Now!" Reiji shouted, his barrier cracking under the pressure.
"Flashfire Fist: JET BURN!"
Endeavor didn't miss the opening. He slammed a fist made of condensed white-hot fire into Hood's chest.
BOOM!
The force was tremendous. The High-End was blasted backward, flying out of the skyscraper and into the open sky.
"Hawks! Get everyone out!" Endeavor commanded, his flames raging. "I'm taking this outside!"
Endeavor propelled himself through the hole in the wall, trailing fire like a comet.
Reiji lowered his arm, shaking off the numbness.
"Kid! You okay?" Hawks asked, already ushering the civilians toward the emergency exit with his feathers.
"I'm fine," Reiji said, walking to the ledge. He looked down.
The battle had moved to the sky, but the consequences were falling to the earth.
Debris—glass, concrete, and steel—was raining down from the top floor. Below, the streets were packed with panicked pedestrians.
"If that debris hits the ground," Reiji calculated, "we're looking at dozens of casualties. Endeavor can't focus if he's worried about the city."
Reiji looked at Hawks.
"You handle the evacuation of the tower. I'll handle the fallout."
"Fallout? Kid, you can't fly!"
Reiji stepped off the ledge.
"Watch me."
[Location: Mid-Air – 50 Floors Up]
Reiji plummeted. The wind roared in his ears.
He didn't panic. He watched the falling debris raining down alongside him.
[Skill: Shadow Clone (Noob Saibot).][Quantity: 5.]
Five silhouettes of pure darkness peeled away from Reiji's body in mid-air.
"Catch them," Reiji ordered mentally.
The clones dived faster than terminal velocity. They intercepted the largest chunks of concrete.
Clone 1 grabbed a slab and teleported to a nearby rooftop. Clone 2 smashed a piece of glass into dust. Clone 3, 4, and 5 formed a net of shadows near the ground, catching the smaller debris before it could crush the fleeing civilians.
[Objective Update: Civilian Casualties: 0.]
"Ground control secured," Reiji muttered. "Now for the main event."
He focused his gaze upward.
Endeavor was engaging Hood in a high-speed dogfight. Fire and black regeneration quirks clashed, creating shockwaves that rattled the windows of neighboring buildings.
"Is that all you have, Number One?!" Hood taunted, regenerating its burned head in seconds. "You are boring! I want more!"
The monster's neck swelled.
SQUELCH.
Hood vomited.
It wasn't bile. It was White Nomus. Four winged creatures, smaller but still deadly, erupted from Hood's storage quirk.
"Go play!" Hood shrieked.
The White Nomus scattered. Two dove toward the streets. Two flew toward the evacuation helicopters that were approaching.
"Adds," Reiji hissed. "Typical raid mechanic."
He checked his mana.
[Spirit Energy: 85%.][Flight Skill: None (Reliance on Teleportation).]
"System, equip the Jet Boots."
[Item Equipped: Kurobane Corp Prototype – Hover Greaves.]
Metal plates on his legs locked into place. Small thrusters ignited with a blue ion flame. It wasn't true flight, but it gave him aerial mobility.
WHOOSH.
Reiji shot upward, intercepting the two White Nomus diving for the street.
"Target Lock."
He drew the Netherrealm Sword.
The first White Nomu screeched, swiping at him with razor claws.
Reiji teleported behind it.
[Style: Mortal Kombat.][Skill: Decapitation.]
SLASH.
The blade, infused with Shadow energy to halt regeneration, severed the Nomu's head clean off. The body went limp and fell.
"One."
The second White Nomu tried to flee.
"Get over here!"
Reiji threw a kunai. The chain wrapped around the creature's wing. He yanked it back, meeting it with a knee to the skull.
CRACK.
"Two."
Above him, the battle was intensifying. Endeavor was taking hits. A massive gash opened over his left eye as Hood's speed overwhelmed him.
"Endeavor!" Hawks shouted from below, sending feathers to support him.
Reiji hovered in the air, watching the blood spray from the Number One Hero.
[System Warning: Critical Injury Detected on Ally (Endeavor).][Recommendation: Intervention.]
Reiji gripped his sword. He could teleport up there. He could use his Light Element to flash-blind Hood. He could heal Endeavor.
But he stopped.
On the screen of his memory, he saw the future. He saw the moment Endeavor stood tall, fist raised, burning with the blue flame of Prominence. That moment was the symbol the world needed. If Reiji intervened too much, he would rob society of its new pillar.
"I can't steal his kill," Reiji decided coldly. "The script must remain intact."
But the script didn't say anything about the other White Nomus attacking the news helicopter.
Reiji turned his thrusters.
"I'll clear the stage," Reiji growled. "You just focus on the boss, Old Man."
He rocketed toward the news chopper.
A White Nomu was latched onto the landing skids, trying to tear the cockpit open. The reporter inside was screaming.
Reiji slammed into the Nomu at Mach speed.
[Skill: Twilight Rush.]
White light exploded from his shoulder charge. The Nomu was knocked off the helicopter.
Reiji grabbed the creature by the neck as they fell.
"Die."
He channeled Hellfire directly into the creature's brain stem.
FWOOM.
The Nomu disintegrated into ash before they hit the ground.
Reiji landed on a rooftop, panting slightly.
Above him, the sky turned orange.
Endeavor, bleeding and exhausted, had grabbed Hood. He was propelling himself higher, burning hotter than Reiji had ever seen.
"Plus Ultra..." Endeavor roared, his voice echoing over the city.
Reiji looked up, shielding his eyes from the blinding light.
"Here it comes," Reiji whispered.
"PROMINENCE BURN!"
A pillar of concentrated sunlight pierced the heavens. The clouds evaporated. The High-End Nomu was consumed by the absolute authority of the Number One Hero.
Reiji watched the silhouette of Endeavor falling from the sky.
He checked his System.
[Quest Complete: The Kyushu Incident.][Boss Defeated: Hood (Assist).][Civilian Casualties: 0.][Historical Divergence: Minimal.]
Reiji sheathed his sword. The violet glow faded.
"Good job, Number One," Reiji said softly.
He tapped his earpiece.
"Kurobane Corp Aviation? Bring the jet around. I need to leave before the reporters notice a student just killed three Nomus."
As he walked away, the cheers of the city began to rise, chanting Endeavor's name.
The era of All Might was over. The era of Endeavor had begun. And in the shadows, Reiji smiled.
End of Chapter 133.