The Last Hamon

"But before that, let me drag the dignity of the 'Symbol of Peace' through the dirt..."

Tomura Shigaraki hunched over and pointed at Jilan Jiyu and the others. "Kurogiri, bring that unconscious kid over here. Let the Nomu take care of the rest."

At Shigaraki's words, the smile vanished from Minoru Mineta's face. He backed away, his face full of fear. "Are they going to kill us? I don't want to die yet..."

Midoriya and Asui paid no attention to Shigaraki's threat to finish them off. Both fixed their eyes on Kurogiri, watching his every move.

Midoriya spread his legs in the water and assumed a fighting stance. "I won't let you take Jilan away!"

"Ahahaha, when your lives are in danger, instead of running away in a panic like that disgusting Grape, you're thinking about saving your classmate..." Tomura Shigaraki let out a low chuckle. "I've changed my mind. I'll kill you myself."

"Kurogiri."

"Understood." Kurogiri spread out his body and retreated, leaving a black Warp Gate where he had stood.

What are they going to do?

"Asui, protect Jilan! I'll hold him off."

Midoriya watched his surroundings warily, on guard against a Black Hole that could appear at any moment. He thought Shigaraki might use Warp Gate to reach them and unleash that Quirk that seemed capable of shattering anything!

Midoriya thought Shigaraki would attack him, so he shielded Asui and Grape behind him. In a blind spot he hadn't noticed, a small, circular Black Hole appeared in the air. One of Shigaraki's hands slipped silently out of it, reaching for the back of Asui's head-

Minoru Mineta watched Shigaraki's hand emerge from thin air. He covered his mouth, desperately trying not to make a sound. Just as Shigaraki's palm was about to cover Asui's head, he could no longer hold back and shouted:

"Tsuyu-chan, watch out behind you!!"

Izuku Midoriya whipped around and saw through Shigaraki's trick. Although Kurogiri had apparently opened a large portal, he had actually placed a Black Hole just wide enough for an arm behind Shigaraki. It let Shigaraki's hand, hidden from Midoriya's sight, cross the distance through space and launch a surprise attack.

"Tch." Seeing Grape suddenly speak up, Tomura Shigaraki clicked his tongue in annoyance. He really hadn't expected that this guy, who looked like someone even a bunch of thugs used as cannon fodder wouldn't want under them, could disregard his own safety and shout a warning at a time like this.

Shigaraki stopped concealing his move and was about to use his Quirk to crush her entire head outright when he suddenly stopped.

"You really are pretty damn cool, Eraser Head."

His head had already been smashed into the ground, and his injuries were so severe he couldn't move. But Shota Aizawa still held wide open his eye, which had long since turned bloodshot and was even shedding bloody tears, and stared stubbornly at Tomura Shigaraki. Quirk-Erasure!

I won't let those filthy hands touch my students! Izuku Midoriya could sense Mr. Aizawa's resolve as a teacher in his blazing gaze!

Though he was usually carefree and looked half asleep all day, his love for his students was no less than All Might's!

Seeing this, Kurogiri quickly realized what had happened. He swiftly used his Quirk to reach Shota Aizawa, then his misty hand solidified in an instant and smashed Aizawa's raised head into the ground again!

Seeing Midoriya lose focus for a moment, the Nomu, which had been offline for several seconds, obeyed Kurogiri's instructions. It seized Midoriya's arm and pulled him up into the air.

Asui was holding Jilan Jiyu in both arms, so she stretched out her long tongue and swept it toward Midoriya, paying no heed to the dark hand behind her head that could kill her!

Shigaraki was no longer restrained. Laughing, he swung his hand toward Tsuyu Asui's head once more, but-

"Boom!!"

Someone kicked open the doors of USJ. The heavy metal doors tore free of the wall, flew high into the air, and landed in the plaza, drawing everyone's attention.

"Everything is fine now! Why, you ask..."

A tall figure emerged from the dust. Every student who saw him broke into a relieved smile.

"Because I am here!" A burly physique, taut, exaggerated muscles, and a smile that looked like he was laughing, yet let everyone feel the anger in his heart!

"That's... All Might!"

The Nomu suddenly stopped moving, but even All Might's arrival didn't stop Tomura Shigaraki. Having been stopped twice, Shigaraki was furious and had decided that this time he wouldn't stop, no matter what!

He was only a little surprised by All Might's arrival. After a brief pause, he reached out again.

From the moment Tsuyu Asui pulled Jilan Jiyu out of the water to now, as she was about to be attacked, she had held him tightly, his face resting against her shoulder. She never let go, as though she were holding a precious doll of her own, or a lover with whom she had made a pact.

Just as Shigaraki's hand was about to touch Asui's head, Jilan Jiyu's eyes suddenly opened.

When Jilan Jiyu regained consciousness, he saw a palm glowing black, seemingly a sign of deathly stillness, drawing closer and closer.

He wasn't quite sure what had happened while he was unconscious, but one thing was certain: Asui had saved him...

In that case, he absolutely couldn't let him hurt the girl holding him!

"Shigaraki! I won't let you hurt her!"

For the first time, Jilan Jiyu realized he could make such a hysterical sound. It was as if he had completely forgotten the burden weighing him down and entrusted everything to that furious roar.

Golden Hamon gathered around Jilan Jiyu. With his roar, all of it concentrated around his head, extinguishing every bit of light.

Jilan Jiyu drove his head into Shigaraki's palm. The instant they touched, Shigaraki's expression changed, because there was no sign of Jilan Jiyu's head breaking at all. It was as though he were merely gripping his head with his own ordinary strength.

"Why can't I shatter it?"

"Because it's a hymn to courage and hope..." Jilan Jiyu pressed his head against the hand and shouted through gritted teeth, "This is my last Hamon, Tomura Shigaraki... taste this attack that pierces the heavens, Tengen Toppa: Hamon Overdrive!"

As Jilan Jiyu shouted, a dazzling light gradually emerged from his head and gathered into a pillar of light bright enough to illuminate reality and dispel everyone's unease!

Even through Kurogiri's Warp Gate, Shigaraki found the light dazzling and felt his arm slowly burning!

"Kurogiri, close Warp Gate, quick!!"

Tomura Shigaraki shouted Kurogiri's name as he endured the pain and pulled his hand back. Kurogiri seemed to have sensed it already and quickly shrank the circular Warp Gate. However, Tomura Shigaraki had overestimated his own speed. Although he pulled his arm back in time, the hand hanging from his arm didn't make it through and fell where it was.

The pillar of light passed through the fading image of Warp Gate like a real beam of light, traveling in a straight line before gradually dissipating three or four seconds later.

Jilan Jiyu had exhausted all the Hamon in his body and used up every bit of his strength. Seeing Warp Gate disappear, he fainted in relief.

Shigaraki, however, paid no attention to any of this, or even to his somewhat charred arm. Instead, he held his hand and looked at Jilan Jiyu, who was still hanging off Asui like a dead pig.

He didn't demand an answer from Jilan Jiyu. He merely murmured the question to himself.

"Why can't I shatter it?"