BOOM!
The blast roared like thunder, shaking the hallway.
But Bakugo had already moved.
Using an explosion to propel himself, he dodged to the side at the last second, letting the blast of energy shatter the wall behind him.
Concrete fragments flew in all directions.
The wall collapsed, exposing the exterior of the building.
The wind blew hard through the newly created hole, kicking up dust and debris.
Hades looked at his smoking gauntlet.
The attack had consumed a good part of the accumulated energy.
He needed to take more hits to reload it.
But Bakugo didn't give him any respite.
He appeared at her side with a fierce smile.
-You have decent reflexes, but you keep using the same strategy, bastard!
BOOM!
A direct blast to his side.
Hades grunted as the shockwave sent him stumbling.
Bakugo didn't stop moving.
He launched into a series of quick punches, alternating punches with small bursts to gain speed and power.
Hades defended himself as best he could, blocking with his gauntlet and dodging when he found an opening.
But Bakugo was fast, too fast.
However, something had changed.
The previous impacts had affected him more than he wanted to admit.
His punches were not as fast as at the beginning of the fight.
And Hades noticed.
Taking advantage of the slight delay in his movements, he began to dodge more easily.
His breathing steadied, and for the first time since the fight began, he felt like he could start to really fight back.
But then...
His right arm trembled.
The force of the counterattack from his own explosion had left a lasting impression on him.
His gauntlet was a powerful weapon, but it also came at a cost.
Bakugo noticed it immediately.
"Tch, does your hand hurt?" he mocked, throwing another punch.
Hades blocked it with difficulty.
"You know, you're not as tough as I thought you were, bastard," he said, smiling with palpable arrogance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Observation room]
Inside the observation room, the tension was palpable.
All the students in class 1-A were completely silent, their eyes fixed on the main screen.
The fight between Hades and Bakugo had turned into a brutal show of strength and endurance.
Each hit resonated through the speakers, making even the most confident gulp.
Kaminari placed his hands on his head.
-God... how the hell are they still standing?
"This is impressive," Jiro murmured, his eyes narrowed.
"Hades's gauntlet is allowing him to hold on," Iida said, his tone analytical. "But there's one obvious problem."
"Which one?" Sero asked.
Iida pointed at the screen.
-From what I've seen, every time he unleashes a blast, his gauntlet overheats. He can't use it consistently.
Everyone looked at the image more closely.
It was true.
After each major impact, Hades seemed to release smoke from his right arm.
All Might, standing at the back of the room, watched with his arms crossed. His expression was serene, but his eyes were sharp.
"Young Hades is used to taking hits to strengthen his counterattacks," he finally said. "But the more time passes, the more the advantage will fall to young Bakugo."
"What do you mean, All Might-sensei?" Tokoyami asked.
-Hahaha, you'll see, pupils - he said, looking at the screen.
Bakugo was starting to sweat more.
But no one in the room, except him, understood what that meant.
Without further ado, he switched the camera and now showed Momo.
She was still on the stairs, far from the fighting. Her notebook was open, scribbled with calculations and sketches.
In front of her, her skin glowed with a faint glow, and in her hands, an elongated, cylindrical object took shape.
It was metallic, with small details on its surface.
His fingers worked with precision, quickly assembling each piece.
But then...
Something dark emerged behind her.
From the ground, sinuous shadows began to glide silently, advancing without her noticing.
The black lashes slithered like snakes through the shadows, wrapping around Momo's ankles and wrists in an instant.
He didn't have time to react.
A sudden jerk made her stagger, her body trapped with no way to move.
The object she was creating fell from her hands, rolling down the steps without her being able to do anything to stop it.
Momo opened her mouth to scream, but a firm hand covered her lips.
Her back collided with a warm body and an icy breath brushed her ear.
"I'm sorry, little mouse," a female voice whispered, velvety but full of cruel mockery. "But when I saw you hiding so far away, I couldn't help but want to catch you."
Momo's heart hammered in her chest.
Her pupils dilated in pure terror as she rolled her eyes, catching a glimpse of Akemi's cold, empty eyes holding a sadistic smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Battlefield]
BOOM!
Hades leaned his torso back at the last second, feeling the blast wave graze his skin.
The heat burned against her cheek, but she didn't stop.
Bakugo clicked his tongue and spun around, throwing an explosive punch with his left hand.
Hades saw the opening.
Instead of backing away, he stepped into range of the attack, raising his gauntlet to block.
BAM!
The impact echoed through the hallway, but this time it was different.
Instead of being pushed back, Hades held on.
Bakugo's feet squeaked against the floor.
For the first time in the fight, his attack had not made his opponent retreat.
His red eyes opened just a little.
-Tch... what a pain.
But Hades didn't let him recover.
He gritted his teeth and twisted his wrist, deflecting Bakugo's blow to the side with brutal finality.
Then he counterattacked.
His bone-wrapped fist shot forward, seeking the face of the explosive.
Bakugo reacted quickly, tilting his head and using an explosion in his right hand to slide to the side.
However, Hades was already one step ahead.
As Bakugo dodged, Hades twisted his hips and launched a knee straight to his abdomen.
WHAM!
The blow was solid.
Bakugo groaned as the air was forced from his lungs.
His back bent slightly, but he didn't fall.
"Bastard..." he muttered through gritted teeth, and immediately launched an explosion into his own chest to back away forcefully.
He landed several feet back, flailing his arms and spitting on the ground.
"Hah... hah... what a surprise," he growled. "You're not just a punching bag!"
Hades flexed the fingers of his gauntlet, feeling the heat rise again.
"You think you're too fast, mortal. But you're starting to become predictable."
Bakugo clicked his tongue in annoyance.
But I knew it.
For a few minutes now, the fight had begun to turn sour.
Hades was taking control.
Not all at once. Not with overwhelming attacks.
But with a slow and methodical strategy.
Every exchange, every clash of blows, every dodge...
Hades was getting closer.
Step by step.
Blow by blow.
And Bakugo noticed.
He tried to shake off the discomfort, to convince himself that he just had to increase the intensity, sweat more, explode harder...
He cursed himself for letting the grenade gauntlets be taken away.
-Damn... I shouldn't have let Deku steal my grenades... - he growled under his breath.
He lowered his center of gravity, ready to propel himself forward with explosions, but then, he realized something.
His palms were shaking.
I was close to reaching my limit from the effort.
He had been attacking nonstop, throwing punches, using his quirk constantly.
Fatigue was beginning to seep into his muscles.
His breathing was heavier.
Hades was forcing him to wear himself down little by little.
And that made him grit his teeth in fury.
-Tch... don't think you're going to beat me with this.
Hades did not respond.
He just took another step forward.
Besides.
Hades's arm was burning.
The incandescent glow of the overloaded gauntlet lit up the hall like a hellish torch.
Every second that passed, the heat bit into his skin more intensely, the throbbing pain running through his flesh as if it were going to melt into the weapon itself.
Bakugo reacted instantly.
-Do you really think I'm going to swallow that obvious shit, moron!
A ferocious roar accompanied his explosion. The flame erupted from his palm with brutal force, propelling him backward like a human projectile.
But then, he saw something that made his stomach turn.
Hades smiled
And the very instant Bakugo dodged, the god of death whispered a name.
-Haruto...
The bone gauntlet disappeared in a blink.
The air felt heavy, as if the very space around them was compressed.
Then, on Hades's left arm, a dark silhouette appeared, a monstrous, bestial form that materialized in a matter of seconds.
When the shadow dissipated, a huge sword stood in its place.
The blade was colossal, as long as Hades himself. Its steel frame was decorated with bones, giving the impression that it had been forged from the remains of countless fallen warriors.
Hades felt the enormous weight on his arm, not only his appearance changed.
It was also fucking heavy, heavier than usual.
So much so that his posture faltered for a moment.
Bakugo, seeing the opportunity, immediately counterattacked.
-I don't give a shit what trick you have, bastard!
He launched himself with a bang, the burst of fire propelling him forward, ever closer to reaching the limit.
In the air, he spun on his axis, aligning his right fist with Hades's face.
But Hades was not still.
I wasn't going to meet him head on.
The sword was too heavy for quick cuts, but it had another advantage: its brute strength.
Hades twisted his body at the last second, using the enemy's momentum to deflect the blow with the back edge of his sword.
The crash echoed in the hallway.
The impact not only blocked Bakugo's attack, but also knocked him off balance.
The explosive's feet were momentarily out of control, its trajectory diverted in the air.
That moment was all Hades needed.
"Take this, you screaming little bastard!" he shouted, raising the sword with all his might and swung it in a brutal arc with the back edge.
He didn't try to cut.
He did not intend to do lethal harm.
He simply used the colossal weight of the sword to strike.
Bakugo was barely able to raise his arms to defend himself before the back edge of the blade slammed into his side.
The sound of the impact was deafening.
Bakugo shot out like a cannonball.
His body flew through the air, hitting the ground repeatedly until he crashed against a wall with a loud bang that shook the building.
Debris flew everywhere.
Dust filled the air, clouding Hades' vision for a few seconds.
Panting, he adjusted his grip on the sword, feeling his muscles protest the effort.
-Fuck... this is harder than I thought...
Then laughter echoed among the rubble.
-Heh... heh... hehehe... Hahahahahaha.
Hades frowned.
Amidst the cloud of dust, Bakugo's silhouette rose.
His uniform was in tatters, his face stained with blood from a cut on his forehead.
But her smile...
His smile was wild.
And the most worrying thing...
He was covered in sweat.
"Hah... finally..." Bakugo ran his tongue over his teeth, his eyes filled with fury and excitement. "I'm finally starting to sweat for real!"
The flames in his hands burned brighter.
The air became denser.
His arms were shaking violently, but Bakugou was willing to break his limits.
Hades gulped and barely had time to compose himself when Bakugo launched himself into the attack again, propelling himself with an explosion that echoed like thunder in the enclosed hallway.
The orange flash lit up his expression of pure determination, and in the blink of an eye, Bakugo's fist was already heading towards him with terrifying speed.
Hades tried to react, but his body was still feeling the effects of the previous impact.
His muscles screamed in protest as he tried to raise his sword to defend himself, but he was too slow.
BOOM!
The explosive fist slammed straight into his side, sending him staggering several steps back.
Every fiber of his being felt the scorching heat of the blast, and a grunt of pain escaped his lips.
"Don't give me that cheap trick, you bastard!" Bakugo roared, his voice thick with aggression as he readied his next blow.
Without giving him time to breathe, the blond pushed himself forward once more, spinning around with surgical precision.
His blasts kept him in the air like a predator stalking its prey, and Hades could barely follow his movement with his eyes before his leg came down with crushing force.
Hades raised his bone sword in a desperate attempt to block the attack, twisting the blade to use the back edge and avoid cutting him.
BOOM!
The impact was brutal.
The kick hit the blade with such intensity that Hades's arms felt a direct impact, right down to his bones. His muscles trembled as if they'd received an electric shock, and a lash of pain ran down his spine as he was sent tumbling backward again, sliding unsteadily on the ground.
"Shit..." he muttered, trying to steady himself, but his body wasn't responding as quickly as he'd hoped.
Sweat beaded on his forehead as he gritted his teeth, feeling the burn in every inch of his skin.
The difference between using his gauntlet and the sword was abysmal.
With the gauntlet, he could at least absorb some of the damage and return it, but now... every blow he took felt like his body was being torn apart little by little.
Bakugo landed in front of him with a fierce grin, his eyes alight with a mix of adrenaline and pure emotion.
"What's wrong?" he mocked. "Have you realized that sword's useless to you?"
Hades knew it. He knew it perfectly well.
He had no technique, no training in fencing, and all he was accomplishing with that enormous blade was delaying the inevitable. Every movement was clumsy, every attempted attack easily dodged.
And worst of all...
Each blow he received hurt more than the last.
Breathing heavily, he readjusted his grip on the handle, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. He had to think, had to find a way to turn the fight around, because if he kept this up...
I was going to lose.
Hades's ragged gasps echoed in the empty halls as he clutched his side, feeling the sting of each impact building in his body. He couldn't go on like this.
Bakugo was faster, more precise, and worst of all, more explosive.
In front of him, the blond walked with absolute confidence, his hands crackling with small explosions that illuminated his face with an orange glow.
His red eyes glowed with an unyielding fire, and every step he took sounded like a death knell.
"Are you scared shitless or something?" he mocked, tilting his head with a predatory grin. "Where's all that god shit you were talking about, huh?"
Hades didn't respond. His thoughts were racing too fast to worry about the provocations.
I have to do something. If I keep blocking with this sword, it'll destroy me. But if I switch to my gauntlet, I'll lose the only defense I have...
His breathing was heavy, his chest rising and falling with effort. Then, in the midst of his exhaustion, an idea flashed through his mind.
What if I alternated?
What if he changed teams at the right moment?
The sword to defend... the gauntlet to attack.
I didn't know if it would work. I didn't know if I could do it fast enough. But I wasn't willing to give up without trying.
He straightened, took a deep breath, and adjusted his grip on the hilt of the great bone sword.
Bakugo saw the move and braced himself, his body tensing to dodge.
Hades smiled.
And he threw the sword with all his might.
The massive blade spun through the air with a deadly whistling sound, but Bakugo reacted instantly, propelling himself with an explosion to move out of the way.
"What kind of idiot throws away his only weapon?" he growled, barely turning in the air to land easily.
But then, he heard the scream.
-Change!
In a blink, the sword disappeared into purple flecks, and in its place, the bone gauntlet wrapped around Hades's right arm, vibrating with the accumulated kinetic energy.
Bakugo barely had time to process it.
The ground shook as Hades was upon him, closing the distance in an instant.
CRACK!
The armored fist slammed straight into his face with a sharp, brutal impact, his jaw absorbing the full force of the blow.
The blast of energy threw him backward like a projectile, his back hitting the ground with a deafening crash.
The concrete cracked beneath his body.
A high-pitched ringing filled his ears, and his vision blurred for a moment. His head spun.
I hadn't seen it coming.
Hades didn't let his guard down for a second.
She knew Bakugo wasn't someone who would just stand down without a fight. To make sure he didn't try anything stupid, she stood up and muttered.
-Change...
The great sword materialized again, but this time, it lost all traces of brutality that the previous one had.
This one was smoother, more normal, but with an edge on only one side.
The gun rested firmly in his hand, its familiar weight giving him a sense of security. But he couldn't afford to waste time.
He leaned over Bakugo, examining him carefully. He was still breathing, but his gaze was blank, as if his brain was still trying to process what had happened.
I had no time to waste.
With a grunt of effort, she grabbed his arm and began dragging him along the ground. The mission wasn't over yet.
He knew the bomb was a few floors away, if he hurried he could finish this before Bakugo woke up.
However...
He had barely turned around when a shadow blocked his path.
Hades stopped in his tracks.
In front of him, with an expression of serene amusement, stood Akemi, clapping deliberately as she walked slowly.
But she wasn't alone.
Momo floated in the air, completely immobilized.
Akemi's black whips coiled around her body like living snakes, holding her tight.
Her eyes were wide open, reflecting pure terror.
A black tentacle covered his mouth, muffling any sound.
Hades' stomach turned at the sight.
Akemi tilted her head slightly, her smile sweet, almost playful, but the sparkle in her eyes said otherwise.
"I'm sorry, Hades-kun," she murmured in a honeyed voice, her words trailing off with chilling calm. "But when I saw this little rat hiding so far away, I couldn't help but want to catch her."
Hades gritted his teeth. The situation had just taken a dangerous turn.
The blade of the sword sank into the concrete just inches from Bakugo's face.
A precise, calculated blow, not intended to kill him, but to make a difference in the situation.
Hades kept his gaze fixed on Akemi, his breathing still ragged from the battle, but his mind already working at full speed.
This was no longer a simple fight.
Now it was a hostage game.
Akemi stared back, her expression serene, her smile tilted with a hint of mischief.
With a calm step, she crossed her arms and let out a soft sigh, as if disappointed.
"Well, well..." his voice, honeyed and warm, drifted through the air with a dangerous calm. "So you defeated my partner. Perhaps I should applaud your achievement."
Slowly, he began to clap once more.
The hollow sound of their clapping echoed off the shattered walls, each clap laden with mockery and disdain.
Hades didn't react. His eyes remained fixed on her.
A few feet away, Momo writhed between the dark whips that held her trapped. Her movements were desperate, frantic, but completely useless. There was no escape.
With chilling calm, Akemi turned on her heels and began walking toward the large opening in the wall.
The same hole Hades had created when he released the energy from his gauntlet.
The midday wind whistled through the crack, bringing a chill with it.
Unhurriedly, Akemi approached the edge and lifted Momo with her whips, suspending her in the air.
"I wonder what would happen if I dropped your beloved companion," he murmured, his head tilted slightly. "Would you be angry?"
Hades clicked his tongue, his jaw clenched tightly.
-I don't give a damn what happens to him.
For a moment, a thick silence filled the room.
Momo stopped struggling.
His breathing became erratic, his head tilted slightly down, and his body trembled with silent resignation.
Akemi narrowed her eyes.
"Oh, really?" His tone was sweet, provocative. "Then you won't mind if I accidentally drop it..."
Hades felt the tension take over his body.
His muscles tensed, his knees buckled, lowering his center of gravity, his jaw clenched, and his hand clenched tightly around the hilt of his sword.
Akemi smiled.
He had gotten what he wanted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Observation Room]
The observation room was completely silent.
The hustle and bustle of a few minutes ago had completely disappeared.
The 1-A students, who had previously been cheering the battle between Hades and Bakugo, now watched with serious and tense expressions.
This no longer felt like a drill.
Everyone's eyes were glued to the screen, watching Akemi hold Momo over the void.
The weight of the situation fell upon them like a bucket of cold water.
Something about the scene didn't fit.
Iida was the first to speak, his voice filled with indignation and bewilderment.
"All Might-sensei..." his fists clenched against his chest. "Is this allowed? I find it a disgrace to this prestigious hero academy."
The others said nothing, but it was clear that they shared the same concern.
They had expected an exciting battle. But this...
This seemed like something else. Something darker.
Something real.
The sound in the room immediately dissipated as All Might turned to face the students.
His expression, until a moment ago jovial and relaxed, hardened.
"This is the reality, dear pupils..." His voice, although firm, had a tone of gravity that he rarely showed.
But then, he smiled again. A wide, almost exaggerated smile, but with a different weight than usual.
-Villains will never play fair. This type of situation is more common than you think: kidnapping your allies, emotional blackmail, even murdering your family or close friends right in front of you...
The students fell silent.
Iida, who had spoken with such confidence moments before, closed his mouth, his brow furrowed.
Kaminari, with a hesitant tone, broke the stillness:
"But... this is training..." he murmured, his voice almost choked with tension.
Tokoyami, without taking his eyes off the screen, crossed his arms over his chest.
-Midoriya has demonstrated a solid strategy by using a hostage to buy time.
Some eyes turned towards him, incredulous.
Tokoyami didn't sound fazed.
Rather, analytical. As if I were watching a chess game rather than a possible death scenario.
All Might nodded.
"In a real battle, it won't all be blows." His eyes shone with unusual seriousness. "You'll also have to deal with high-stress situations due to the presence of hostages. And a single decision on your part can jeopardize the mission... or lead to everyone's death."
The young men gulped in unison.
The atmosphere became even more tense.
Without saying another word, they returned their attention to the screen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Battlefield]
A low laugh, almost a whisper, broke the silence between Hades and Akemi.
Akemi smiled with pure amusement, her eyes flashing with a hint of sadism.
"You say you don't care what happens to him," he murmured, tilting his head slightly. "But look at you... You look like you're ready to jump."
Hades snarled, his jaw clenched tightly.
His body was tense, his center of gravity low, like a predator ready to pounce.
But in his mind, chaos reigned.
"Save her, you proud bastard!" Haruto shouted in despair.
Hades, arms crossed within the shared mental space, maintained an expression of pure disdain.
-I'm not interested.
-You can't just let her die!
Hades clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"She's nothing more than a worthless mortal. Her life means nothing to me."
"But it does apply to you! Otherwise, we wouldn't be having this discussion!" Haruto pointed at him angrily.
Hades fell silent.
"Look at you..." Haruto narrowed his eyes. "You say you don't care, but you're still there, waiting... watching."
"I don't want Akemi to have the advantage. That's all."
Haruto gritted his teeth.
-No... that's not all.
Hades turned his face away in annoyance.
-What the hell are you trying to say?
Haruto took a deep breath.
-If you let her die now... you won't be the one who kills her.
Hades blinked.
-That...?
-If Akemi lets her fall, she'll be robbing you of the chance to take revenge with your own hands.
A chill ran down Hades's spine.
-That is...
Haruto took a step forward, his expression filled with fury and reproach.
"You can't let Akemi take your revenge away from you! Our revenge for what she did!"
Hades felt his breath hitch.
The idea hit him like an icy wave.
Haruto was right.
If Momo had to die... it had to be by her own hands.
Not for Akemi's.
Never for anyone else's.
Akemi smiled at the boy's moment of silence.
Her hesitation only reminded her of herself in a similar situation.
A situation in which he could not save anyone.
And with a lazy flick of his wrist, he loosened his grip on the whips.
One by one, they fell away, the color draining from Momo's face as she watched in horror as there were fewer and fewer whips holding her.
At that, All Might's voice echoed through the speakers.
-Young Midoriya, I advise you not to let young Yaoyorozu fall!
But his words were lost on everyone in the building.
And from one second to the next, Momo fell.
The air roared around his body as he descended.
For a moment, no one noticed the thin black filament that still held her.
He didn't see it.
Because at that moment, there was only one thought in his mind.
-No... Akemi wouldn't take my revenge... No one will take my revenge away from me!
Everything slowed down.
In Hades' eyes, the entire world entered a perfect slow motion.
It was a state I had experienced before.
When he saw the zero-point robot.
When he split the bomb humans in two.
And now, when he saw Momo falling.
The sound faded, replaced by the distant echo of Haruto's scream in his mind.
-Save her, Hades!
"I won't let you steal my revenge!" he snarled, his heart pounding with savage force, like a war drum beating in his chest.
His legs tensed.
His grip on his sword tightened.
And in his mind, a single thought emerged with burning fury:
-I'll save her!
Then, it moved.
Like a dark flash of lightning, his body exploded in speed.
For a moment, his figure seemed to fade from the viewers' eyes, as if the entire world could not keep up with him.
In the blink of an eye, I was in the air.
Just at the exact moment when Akemi's black whips were completely released from Momo.
The weather returned to normal.
The sound roared suddenly in his ears.
Momo squealed, but her voice was cut off as Hades caught her firmly in his arms.
The air cut across his face, and at that same instant, an unbearable pain exploded in his legs.
His muscles burned.
His bones protested.
A trickle of blood ran down his tear ducts and nose, but he wouldn't let it fall.
He won't.
....
TO BE CONTINUE