A wave of absolute exhaustion immediately hit my body. I was left sitting on my knees in my armor, gasping for breath.
„Mephisto!"
A group of my classmates immediately ran towards me from a distance. Kirishima supported me by the shoulders, while Midoriya and the invisible Toru – who had already put on gloves so that she could be at least a little visible – stared at me with undisguised admiration and fear.
"Dude, you're a total monster," Kirishima blurted out, his voice shaking with excitement. "Holding that thing in place for so long... you saved Mr. Aizawa's life!"
"It was... crazy," Toru whispered. "When that creature caught you... I thought it was over."
Before I could say anything, the massive USJ doors flew open again and a full force of U.A. reinforcements burst in, led by Director Nezu, Present Mic, and Snipe, who immediately drove the injured Shigaraki and Kurogiri into their last portal with a few precise shots.
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the white ceiling of the school infirmary and the smell of disinfectant. My Ether Core was still empty and tired, but my body wasn't hurting as badly anymore and my arm was visibly fine. Recovery Girl had obviously done her job.
Toru was sitting on a chair next to my bed, and she jumped up as soon as she noticed me moving. "Mephisto! You're awake! How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, Toru. Just tired," I mumbled and sat up.
At that moment, the door to the infirmary opened and Midoriya and Kirishima peeked in, and surprisingly, Momo Yaoyorozu too. They all came in and looked at me.
"Seriously, Mephisto, the way you flew in there..." Kirishima threw up his hands and tried to imitate explosions in a low whisper so as not to disturb the peace in the infirmary. "When you summoned that giant dragon, I thought I was dreaming. The entire zone shook to its foundations! You saved Mr. Aizawa's neck."
Momo Yaoyorozu nodded in understanding, her face pale from shock, but her eyes shining with deep respect. "Your tactical decision to split your forces and let the dragon protect us while you and the other shadow focused on that monster... That was incredible. Without you, that creature would have attacked the rest of the class before All Might arrived."
Toru, who was sitting closest, nervously tugged at her gloves. "I... I mainly want to thank you for not letting me fall alone. If I had been there without you, those bad guys would have..."
"Enough! Out! Everyone out!"
The infirmary door burst open and Recovery Girl strode into the room, her staff tapping menacingly on the floor. "Young Darkness survived a collision that would have sent a grown hero to the coronation bed! His core is completely drained and you're giving him a press conference here? He needs absolute peace, get out now!"
"A-yes, we apologize!" blurted out Midoriya, who until then had just stood quietly in the corner, watching me warily.
Kirishima quickly apologized, gave me a glare, and the whole group obediently disappeared into the hallway under the strict supervision of the school doctor. As soon as the door closed and Recovery Girl went to her office, the room fell into a deathly silence.
"My lord..."Agron's voice came from the shadows. This time there was none of the usual haughtiness or coldness in it. He was tired, his shadowy form inside my mind only slowly coming back together.
"It was a close fight, Agron,"I answered him in my mind.Nomu. Our current level of power was not enough for him. If All Might hadn't come, he would have beaten us."
"The monster was an anomaly,"Agron hissed."It was designed to consume brute force. But you are right. If we are to walk this world without limits, you must grow stronger. Your power has not yet reached its full potential, and my presence is limited by your current capacity for energy."
I sat up on the bed and stared at my hands. The feeling of helplessness I felt as Nomu absorbed my full etheric impact burned me from the inside.
"I need to gain more strength. I need to advance further. I need more soldiers."
"A great decision, my lord,"Agron chuckled in the shadows."The world of heroes will soon learn what true domination means."
"Agrono, I can see that you will have new colleagues… I will create something that has no equal in this world and then I will rush to change professions!"