Shigaraki screamed.
"No—! No! No! WHY?!"
He clawed at his neck again, nails digging so deep blood spilled freely as his body shook with uncontrollable panic.
"Why won't you just DIE?!"
Ren smiled.
"I told you…" he said softly.
Then—
His pupils vanished.
His eyes turned completely white.
His smile twisted into something wrong.
"…that I'd make you reunite with your family."
And then—
He was gone.
Thunder.
A deafening crack split the air as Ren appeared beside Shigaraki, already mid-kick.
Shigaraki didn't even register movement.
BOOM!
The shockwave tore through the plaza, pulverizing the ground beneath them.
Pant.
Pant.
Shigaraki stumbled backward, lungs screaming, terror flooding every nerve.
The black Nomu stood in front of him—
Its body caved in, smoking.
It had taken the hit.
If it hadn't…
Shigaraki would have died.
All Might's eyes widened.
'That power…'
His gaze locked onto Ren.
'He's not just fighting anymore…'
'He wants him dead.'
All Might clenched his fist—
—then another beam screamed toward him.
"—Tch!"
"Detroit Smash!"
The air itself detonated as All Might obliterated the blast, then launched himself toward the Chimera Nomu, refusing to let it interfere.
Behind him—
Ren landed lightly.
The black Nomu staggered, absorbing the kinetic force of the kick almost instantly.
Ren felt it.
The drain.
He smiled wider.
'Energy absorption…'
His grin sharpened.
'So it's not just shock resistance… it eats impact.'
Using the Nomu's chest as a foothold, Ren flipped backward and landed smoothly.
'…I want that.'
The moment his foot had connected—
The moment he decided—
It was done.
'Shock Absorption,' Ren named it instinctively as the sensation spread through his body.
Without hesitation—
'Weld.'
Seraph went to work.
Pain tried to rise.
Seraph erased it.
Ren inhaled once.
Then vanished forward.
"N-NOMU! KILL HIM!" Shigaraki shrieked. "NOW! NOW!"
The black Nomu charged, arm cocked back.
It punched.
Ren met it head-on.
Their fists collided—
—and locked.
The air screamed.
Both bodies vibrated violently as energy tried to flow between them, shock waves rippling outward. Ren's skin trembled far more than the Nomu's—frailer, weaker—
—but then—
"Erasure."
Ren's eyes flared white.
The Nomu's skin stopped vibrating instantly.
Its Quirk vanished.
And its arm—
Exploded.
Flesh burst apart in a spray of gore as the stored energy rebounded violently back into it.
Ren grinned from ear to ear.
'Perfect.'
Shock Absorption welded with Surge.
Every physical impact directed at him wasn't damage—
It was fuel. That's right. Upon welding it with Surge, he could now absorb the enemy attack's kinetic energy and reuse it to empower his own attacks.
The only reason he'd used Erasure was simple.
Otherwise—
They'd keep exchanging energy endlessly.
Shigaraki's eyes bulged.
"W-What—?!"
The black Nomu swung with its other arm.
But Ren just shattered it with a single punch again.
The first arm regenerated mid-motion.
It attacked again.
Ren smiled, his eyes flaring brighter as he erased even the regeneration.
But then—
He let the punch come.
The Nomu's fist slammed into Ren's face.
Blood erupted.
All Might's head snapped around.
"REN—!"
The blood splattered onto the ground.
Then—
Everyone froze.
Ren stood there.
Laughing.
Blood streamed down his face as he tilted his head slightly.
The Nomu's arm had exploded.
Ren had headbutted it.
Using the new Surge.
All Might's fist trembled.
Ren wasn't just fighting.
He was enjoying this. He was having fun.
Thunder.
Ren vanished again.
The roar echoed through the USJ as he appeared beside Shigaraki once more.
"Tenko…" Ren hummed softly, stepping closer.
Shigaraki screamed.
"N-Nomu! HELP ME!"
He turned and ran.
And then—
A hand clamped onto Ren's shoulder.
"Oops…" Ren muttered.
The black Nomu, having regenerated his arms the moment Ren looked away, tore his arm clean off and hurled him away like a broken doll.
Ren smashed across the ground—
—but this time—
He was smiling.
Wide.
...
Ren pushed himself off the ground.
Wet flesh knitted together at his shoulder, bone reforming, muscle weaving back into place at an inhuman pace. In seconds, his arm was whole again.
Silence fell over USJ.
Everyone was staring.
All Might.
The gathered students.
Shigaraki.
A monster.
That was the word hanging unspoken in the air.
Ren stood there drenched in blood, lightning still crackling faintly around his body, eyes too bright, smile too sharp. Fear crawled up their spines—not awe, not admiration.
Fear.
"Tenko…" Ren tilted his head, humming the name softly as he stared at Shigaraki. His voice was light, almost playful. "Tenko… let's play a bit more, shall we—"
Slap.
The sound cracked across the battlefield.
Ren's head snapped to the side.
For a moment, there was only stunned silence.
Ren turned slowly.
All Might stood in front of him—his face twisted with rage Ren had never seen before.
"Old man…?" Ren muttered. "What are you—"
All Might grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him.
"Ren! What the fuck are you doing?!" he roared. "Look at yourself!"
Ren froze.
He looked down.
His hands were soaked in blood.
Dripping.
Sticky.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" All Might shouted—and slapped him again.
Ren didn't react.
He just stood there.
"Are you really trying to kill someone?! Kill someone! Taking a human life!" All Might demanded.
The words hit harder than any punch.
Ren's breath caught.
The battlefield blurred.
Images flashed through his mind—his mother's smile, her voice, her warmth.
She wouldn't have wanted this.
A sick realization crawled into his chest.
He had been smiling.
Laughing.
Enjoying it.
"I…" Ren's voice cracked. "What…?"
Seraph moved instinctively, knitting the fracture in his jaw All Might had caused—but Ren stopped it.
He let the pain stay.
He deserved it.
His eyes burned as tears welled up.
"What have I become…?"
Ren stepped forward—and hugged All Might, burying his face into the hero's chest.
His body shook.
All Might stiffened in surprise—then slowly raised a hand and rested it on Ren's head.
"Ren…" he said quietly. "Killing is never the answer."
His voice softened.
"I know that anger. I've felt it." His grip tightened just a little. "And if you cross that line… it never leaves you. Ever."
Ren clutched him tighter.
He understood.
Then—
"Kekekekekekekek!"
A shrill, broken laugh echoed through USJ.
A massive black mist gate yawned open behind Shigaraki.
"That bastard's trying to escape!" Bakugo's voice roared as he blasted through the air, chasing the now portal Kurogiri.
As soon as All Might had arrived, Kurogiri had went off to fight with the kids to block them from disturbing Shigaraki's fight with All Might and Ren, but he hadn't expected there to be other little monsters in this class.
Bakugo and Todoroki had kept him head—no, they had been about to completely defeat him, so Kurogiri, sensing the situation was getting bad for both him and Shigaraki, decided that it was time to retreat in definitive.
Shigaraki laughed hysterically, scratching at his neck again as the portal stabilized.
"What a touching moment, Ren!" he cackled.
Only his head remained outside the gate now.
Safe.
The fear was gone from his eyes now.
"But bye-bye for now!"
He turned—
Then snapped back toward Ren.
"Oh, and by the way…" Shigaraki grinned. "Your mother woke up."
Ren froze.
"We'll take real good care of her."
Ren's eyes went hollow.
"You… bastard."
White lightning exploded from his body as he lunged forward faster than ever before.
But—
A beam screamed toward him.
Ren was forced to leap back.
"Kekekekekekeke!"
The gate collapsed.
Shigaraki vanished.
Silence returned.
Ren's fists clenched.
Once again…
He was too late.
A hand settled on his shoulder.
All Might.
"Ren," he said firmly, "you saved us all today."
Ren's heart skipped.
That…
That felt good.
Maybe... this time... he hadn't been entirely useless.
…
Momo arrived with Jiro at her side, carrying Kaminari—completely fried, eyes spirals, muttering nonsense.
As she reached the others, her gaze drifted past them—
—and froze.
The Nomu were moving.
"No…" she whispered. "What… what is that…?"
The black Nomu and the Chimera Nomu were merging.
No—assimilating.
Ren turned instantly, Eagle Eyes locking on.
What stood there now was a nightmare.
A fifteen-foot monstrosity.
Black and green flesh fused together. Scales layered over fur. Multiple arms twisted from its torso. Wings unfurled grotesquely. Tails writhed behind it, each tipped with something different—bone, muscle, claw.
Too many limbs.
Too many mouths.
Too many eyes.
Ren's jaw tightened.
"That bastard…" he muttered.
He'd left them a farewell gift.
To be continued...
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Okay, guys... I feel... like I made Ren a biiiiit too OP... just a little bit. You guys kept complaining, but... I think I exaggerated 😅.