There was only darkness.
Not the kind that comes with sleep—the gentle, quiet dark that cradles you.
This darkness suffocated.
I stood in the middle of it, unable to move, unable to breathe, as if the world itself had frozen me in place. My body felt distant, disconnected. My voice wouldn't come out. My limbs refused to respond.
And in front of me—
They were dying.
One after another.
That man.
Kurotsuki.
He walked forward without hesitation, without emotion, like a god passing judgment on insects.
Mom fell first.
Her eyes searched for me.
Not for help.
For comfort.
Dad tried to fight him. He lasted longer than anyone else. But even he… even he was torn down like nothing.
Kurohane. Mellisia. Toru. Fuyumi.
Kacchan screamed my name before his voice was cut short.
Everyone.
Everyone died by his hands.
And I couldn't do anything.
I was using One For All at full power. One hundred percent. My body screamed under the strain. The air shattered around my punches. The ground cracked beneath my feet.
But none of it mattered.
My blows never reached him.
My speed couldn't touch him.
It was like trying to fight inevitability.
Like trying to punch fate itself.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
The scream tore out of my throat—
And I jolted upright.
My lungs burned as air rushed back into them. My heart pounded violently against my ribs. Sweat clung to my skin. The hospital room lights felt too bright, too real.
"Easy," Dad's voice came from beside me, steady but firm. "Calm down. Your body hasn't fully recovered yet."
I turned toward him, still shaking.
"…Dad…" My voice felt fragile, like it might break. "Mom… Mellisia… where are they?"
He didn't hesitate.
"They're safe," he said. "Mellisia took some injuries, but she'll recover. Everyone else is fine."
For a second, I just stared at him.
Then the weight hit me.
It wasn't real.
They were alive.
My vision blurred as tears spilled over before I could stop them.
"Oh… thank God…" My shoulders trembled, and I lowered my head as the sobs came freely.
Dad sighed, though there was something softer in his eyes.
"Stop crying like that," he said, nudging my shoulder lightly. "You're going to be a father soon. You should start acting like someone your child can look up to."
Hearing that from him—of all people—made something in me crack.
I let out a weak, disbelieving chuckle.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Why do I feel like you just insulted me?"
"It's just your imagination," I replied, wiping my face.
He grunted in suspicion but didn't push it.
Silence lingered for a moment before the nightmare returned to my mind.
"Dad… Kurotsuki…" I looked at him seriously. "What is he? I was using One For All at full power, and I couldn't even touch him."
Dad's expression changed.
He leaned back slightly, eyes distant.
"Kurotsuki…" he repeated slowly. "So the kid survived long enough to grow up."
I frowned. "What kid?"
His gaze shifted to the ceiling.
"This story begins before you were born, Izuku. Before I met your mother. Back then, Garaki was obsessed with creating the perfect being. Not just a Nomu. Something beyond that."
"I know what Nomu are," I said quietly.
He nodded.
"But the original concept of the Nomu program wasn't mindless soldiers," he continued. "It was to recreate me. A being with my intellect, my power, my control—without my limitations."
My stomach tightened.
"I shut the project down immediately," he said. "I refused to allow another version of myself to exist. Especially one that could potentially betray me."
He paused.
"After I met your mother, my priorities shifted. I assumed the project had died with my order."
His jaw tightened.
"But that bastard Garaki resumed it in secret. I thought I eliminated every trace. It seems his son inherited both his research and his madness."
The air in the room felt heavier.
"As for why Kurotsuki is that strong…" Dad exhaled slowly. "He isn't just one person. He's a fusion. Genetic data from me. From All Might. From top pro heroes across the world. From powerful villains."
My hands clenched.
"He possesses their talents. Their instincts. Their quirks. Their combat data. Everything."
"How many were there?" I asked.
"Ten prototypes," he replied. "Most failed. Most were unstable. But Kurotsuki…"
His eyes darkened.
"He was the most successful. Garaki called him the 'perfect being.'"
Silence swallowed the room.
"I don't think even I can stop him now, son."
"But you—"
His words cut off.
The building shook violently.
An explosion ripped through the air outside, powerful enough to rattle the windows and send dust falling from the ceiling.
Without thinking, I tore the IV from my arm and swung my legs off the bed.
"Izuku, wait," Dad said sharply. "You're still injured."
I ignored the pain and ran.
The hospital gown fluttered around me as I burst out into the street.
The sight froze me for half a second.
An entire city block was gone.
Flames licked at shattered buildings. Smoke curled into the sky. Civilians screamed as debris fell around them.
And in the middle of the destruction—
A massive transport construct had crashed into the city.
Its hull split open.
Hundreds of Nomu poured out like a living flood.
"Dad," I said, my voice steady despite the fire rising in my chest, "protect the civilians. Get Mom out of here. I'll handle this."
"You're not in condition to—"
"Trust me," I interrupted. "I need to release this anger somewhere."
My eyes locked onto the swarm.
"And Garaki… and everyone behind this…"
The rage simmered, controlled but burning.
"I will make them answer for this."
Dad studied me for a second.
Then he nodded once.
"Be careful," he said quietly.
He launched into the sky.
And I stepped forward.
The first Nomu lunged at me.
I met it head-on.
The impact shattered the pavement beneath us.
Another rushed in from the side.
I twisted midair, driving my fist through its torso, the shockwave sending three more crashing into buildings.
They kept coming.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
But my movements grew sharper. Cleaner. More precise.
Each punch carried not just power—but intent.
I would not watch my world burn again.
Not in dreams.
Not in reality.
---
Across the world, chaos unfolded.
In South Korea, identical transport constructs tore through city centers, unleashing waves of Nomu into crowded districts.
Skyscrapers trembled under the assault.
Han Seojun stood atop a collapsed overpass, blood running down his temple as he surveyed the battlefield.
Beside him, Yoon Ara and Baek Jiho fought back-to-back, coordinating their attacks with veteran precision.
Civilians lay injured across the streets.
The air smelled of smoke and iron.
"This isn't random," Ara shouted as she blasted a Nomu backward.
Seojun clenched his fists, energy surging around him.
"Then we'll crush whatever message they're trying to send," he roared.
He launched himself into the swarm, striking with enough force to split the ground open.
Even as casualties mounted, the heroes refused to retreat.
They pushed forward, inch by inch.
---
In Russia, the situation was different.
Mikhail Volkov stood in the center of a frozen intersection, his breath visible in the cold air.
Around him, dozens of pro heroes—many of them ice-type specialists—worked in perfect synchronization.
Entire waves of Nomu were trapped in towering glaciers within minutes of arrival.
The damage there was significantly less severe.
Still, Volkov's eyes remained sharp.
"This is too coordinated," he muttered. "They want something."
---
China faced overwhelming numbers.
Zhang Meilin cut through Nomu with precise, calculated strikes while Li Wei commanded squads of heroes across multiple districts.
Despite the heavy resistance, civilians had already suffered.
Several heroes lay unmoving.
But the destruction could have been far worse.
Thanks to Meilin's rapid evacuation orders and strategic positioning, entire sectors had been cleared before the Nomu fully deployed.
She paused atop a shattered rooftop, watching another wave fall.
"These creatures are strong," she thought. "But not strong enough to ensure global devastation."
Her eyes widened.
"They're a distraction."
Her voice cut through the chaos as she turned to a communications officer.
"Contact UHO and Izuku Midoriya immediately," she ordered. "If this is happening worldwide at the same time, then the real objective hasn't revealed itself yet."
Her gaze hardened.
"And wherever the true target is… it will be where the strongest are focused."