Nyx had flattened her wings on her back, descending from above like a hawk.
Fifty meters, with the speed she had dived, was barely mentionable.
None of the three remaining students could have stopped her from crossing that distance and reaching Luke by running up to him in time, even when they were at their best.
Much less needed to be said about now, when they couldn't even walk.
He was going to do it, they thought together, grunting in pain and growling at the dreadful realization.
Right in front of their eyes, Luke was going to use Spot Heal!
Somehow, intuitively, both Momo and Todoroki rejected the possibility of Luke using any other Quirk.
First, they knew that every use of his Quirk drained Luke's stamina.
The more he kept it activated, the quicker he would lose his bearings, becoming powerless by the end.
With that in mind, it had made sense for Luke not to use his Quirk, saving it for the very end.
However, not all had happened as expected, especially with Midoriya going bat-shit crazy upon them only seconds before.
Which meant Luke did not have nearly enough stamina to use any Quirk that could give him a direct advantage against them.
Any Quirk… other than Spot Heal!
The healing Quirk wouldn't restore Luke's Stamina, Momo and Todoroki knew.
But it would heal his injuries, making him capable enough to move. Move his legs to kick. Move his hands to use knives. Move his body to wield that thorny vine and massive blade… again!
This, in itself, wouldn't have been enough.
But their own state at this moment was even worse than Luke's.
One use of Spot Heal would not only heal Luke, but it would all but guarantee his victory.
And, letting go of that victory, after suffering so much, after bearing so much pain, felt… horrible.
It felt like betraying themselves, their ideals, and… all the people who had been cheering for them.
…
Dragging her body toward Luke, Momo barely managed to put one foot after another.
She couldn't breathe. And when she did breathe, it felt like a massive stone was resting on her chest, becoming heavier. Her vision kept taking a darker tinge, as if she would lose her sight entirely in the next moment.
Gasping, Momo tried to look toward the spot where her electric machine gun had been standing before Bakugo had destroyed it.
Nothing could be seen there anymore.
Not even the handful of useful things she had created to counter Todoroki and Luke, hiding them under a black sheet.
The sudden outburst of those green-black strands of energy had upended everything, it seemed, destroying her creations or sending them flying beyond the laser boundaries.
Now, she was so exhausted that she wouldn't even be able to create a matchstick.
If only she had carried her Yaoyorictionary with her, then she could perhaps use it to smash that idiot's head.
Imagining that scenario suddenly brought a wry chuckle to Momo's lips.
No matter how funny it felt, such a thing was impossible, though, as only items that were part of one's Hero Costume were allowed in the Battle Center X.
The exhausted chuckle suddenly vanished from Momo's face.
Through her half-closed eyes, she kept looking at Luke as Nyx appeared over his head.
Despite her dark vision, her pupils carried a rare glint. She didn't want to lose. Not like this. Not without putting up a fight. Not… against him.
And so, taking another step somehow, Momo walked, her body visibly thinning out as she pushed her Quirk, going beyond!
…
Todoroki let a pillar of ice propel him.
Among Momo, Monoma, and him, only he could reach Luke fast enough to prevent him from using Spot Heal.
Two broken legs should have already made him pass out.
However, he had countered the pain by freezing them instantly, numbing the feeling.
That was the only reason he had managed to keep a clear vision so far; clear enough for him to know that if he didn't act now, then he would have no chance of victory.
Time seemed to pause as Todoroki advanced across space, propelled by his ice.
In that moment, he felt like it was already too late.
He would never reach Luke… Never.
He could see Momo, who was just standing in place, her feet shuffling as if she were walking.
Perhaps, in her mind, she was walking, hoping to prevent Luke from using Spot Heal? Regardless, she would never reach him in time. And even if she did, it didn't seem she could do anything about it.
Then there was Monoma.
He was perhaps the only one who had made the smartest move of the three, switching Dark Shadow with Shoji's Dupli-Arms Quirk.
Now, Monoma was sprouting arms at the end of arms, faster and faster, hoping to stop Luke.
It was a lost battle, though.
Not only did Monoma lack control over Dupli-Arms, as clearly seen from the flopping, thin arms he was creating, but he was also… the farthest from Luke.
Then what?
Out of nowhere, Todoroki had a weird realization.
It wasn't so important… Winning.
Nothing would change if he stepped out of the laser boundaries right now.
In fact, knowing when to give up, especially when lives were on the line, was a remarkable trait in a Pro.
But… But…
"I…" Todoroki mumbled.
Then, as time regained its momentum, that mumble became a scream.
"I—" Todoroki screamed, burning and freezing, feeling a weird coolness in his chest. "— DON'T WANT TO LOSE TO YOU!"
Flashfreeze —
With a suppressed hiss, a wave of ice covered the entire battlefield instantly.
Then, flames surged from Todoroki's left side, their redness bypassing the blue, becoming white in the very next moment.
Luke's eyes widened to the extreme.
Momo was still standing in the same spot, her entire body glittering.
Monoma's arm-branches had fallen on the ground as he couldn't keep them in the air.
Then, with Todoroki as the center, a blast originated, crushing him as it propagated, ripping the earth and destroying everything.
— Heatwave!
BOOOOOOOOM!
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