Strong, powerful, and more impressively, collected and in control. Just like he had been at during their fight with Rhino and Shocker, and the single-brain guy.
God, she wished she could feel in control like that right now.
...
As she let loose against the already regenerating spine guy, her assessment was proven correct, as Izuku, who she had assumed would be able to handle the strong guy much better than her with his enormous size, simply grabbed him, and threw him. Straight up.
She couldn't see exactly how far up he'd thrown him, not without taking her eyes off the spine monster, but he'd be out of the fight for a while at least.
Smart. Simple and smart. Much smarter than how she'd imagined he'd handle him.
Now all she had to do was deal with the spine guy as he handled the red one.
The hooded one's first action after his regeneration(like the other black one, this one seemed to heal much quicker than either the red, or the gray one) brought him back to his feet was to try to launch that huge, expanding arm attack again, and once more aimed at Izuku.
Mina reacted instantly.
And this time, she did not take chances.
With a pang of sharp pain from her arm, she conjured up a wall of Green acid, not as gooey and stable as it stood as the gray one she'd made against the red one, but infinitely more dangerous.
The arm turned to practically nothing, as the arm that hit the wall of Xeno-Acid disintegrated, and was dissolved on the spot by the liquid.
The thing cocked it's head, as it turned its eyes from the acid wall, which had already completely sunk into the ground as it dissolved the ground beneath it.
"Strong… But painful."
"You… You can think, right?" She didn't know what it was that drove her to speak.
She felt… Numb. Not quite the same as she had when she fought Tokage, but still… Very, very numb.
Still she… this guy… They didn't have to...
"You're not like these other guys. You… You have a choice here. You can..."
"Choice? Yes. I have a choice." The monster grinned with those square teeth. It could have been comical, but combined with it's eyes, it's huge, monstrous spine, and the way its musculature was just… Wrong.
"To fight! To find the strongest!"
Then it launched itself at her.
Had Mina been able to think straight, and had her mind not been numbed and in shock for the first time seeing people being killed in front of her, she might have thought that all in all, this was a good matchup for her.
The monster was EXTREMELY dangerous, strong, durable, and fast.
Against almost any other hero it would have been at an enormous advantage, even against most of the top Heroes of their country.
Not against her.
She had both the speed, and the reflexes to counter the monster, and in her acid, she had the weapon she needed to do it.
The monster was capable of massive ranged attacks, easily with the capacity to kill it's target and level large buildings.
But it was a body-based quirk, which meant that as it was put up against her acid, not only was it halted in it's tracks, but it also dealt hugely, and devastating damage to the body as well.
She had all the advantages in this fight. So long as she kept this fight going like it was, sooner or later this guy's healing factor would give out, and then… And then...
Mina felt numb. Numb and… Something more. Mentally tired in a way that none of her other fights had ever managed to make her.
It was strange, this fight hadn't even lasted 10 minutes, and yet it had taken more out of her than the fight against shocker and Rhino ever had.
Mina created another wall of Xeno-Acid to block another massive attack… But it never came.
She blinked, completely taken aback as the sight she was greeted with as the wall sank into the ground was that of her foe having turned tail and ran the opposite direction.
Was… Was he running away?
It took her numbed brain several seconds before she realized that it was moving towards where Izuku was currently standing on a side of a pillar on the train tracks, raining destruction down on the red one.
She moved without thinking.
The spine monster moved, not to attack Izuku directly, but instead, it doubled around so it was behind said pillar before it launched the attack.
It really could think.
Panic, true panic shot through her mind, as a shout began making its way up from her throat… Only to be followed up by an incredible sense of relief, as Izuku, somehow having predicted the attack, easily jumped down from the pillar and landed on his feet, perfectly unscathed and in control as the pillar burst to pieces.
He really was amazing, Midoriya Izuku.
She landed besides him, and as she spoke, she FORCED herself to speak clearly and normally.
Like she wasn't numbed by it all, and this was just like the last time they fought the Leagues from America.
"Sorry… I was holding him off just fine but... but then he just turned and ran away."
She was about to say more, only for the sound of something huge and massive slamming into the ground, further down the street.
The third one, having returned to the battlefield after his trip skywards.
Great. Just fucking perfect.
"Strrrroong… Both of you…. Verrry strong…" The spinal monster drolled on.
"Seems he realized I was about to… To kill the red one… So he bounded around to stop me."
Mina's eye glanced over to said aforementioned red one, and yes, she could see it.
It was putting itself back together, but the healing factor was nearing it's end.
It was about to die, just like Izuku said.
"The black ones heals faster. Seems their limit is way worse too. The red one won't last much longer."
"Can you distract Hoodie, while I'll throw the black one skywards again? Then I'll finish off the red one."
It took Mina several seconds before she understood what he said.
Then she felt a wave of relief wash over her. Relief that Izuku was giving her a way out. Of not having to kill the red one herself.
It was stupid of course. They were fighting for their lives, and it was up to them and no other to make certain that these guys didn't go on and murder countless more people. No matter what. It was moral cowardice on her part to not be willing to do her part.
But… at that moment she just felt… So grateful she didn't have to kill.
"Right, no pro-"
The two teenagers' planning was cut short as the spine guy launched another attack, launching another giant, black arm, forcing the two heroes to split sideways, each going their own way from it.
Mina didn't hesitate at this point though.
There was a plan ready, and she would do her part, and she would do it well!
Or at least that was the plan.
Mina did indeed get the spinal guy's(Or Hoodie as Izuku called him) attention, wading into him with one of the most ferocious acid attacks she ever done, coated with gray acid, then barreling out on the other side, making sure she took him in the head.
She snapped around, turning on her heels, prepared to continue playing her role of a distraction when-
DANGER
A sense of true, total, overwhelming fear struck Mina in that moment. It was beyond ANYTHING she had ever felt in her young life. Beyond any enemy, beyond any worry, or fear, or any situation she had ever felt.
It was a sense that told her more clearly than any sense she had ever felt in her life, that if she remained where she was, she would Die. Her very existence would come to an end.
She forgot all about her plan, her instincts overriding everything else, as they told her to MOVE!
She burst to the side, and… A huge energy beam shot through where she had been.
Then it shot past and continued on and on… Straight through the entire city.
The best way to describe it was that it was like some anime-style energy beam, only in real life.
When the beam finally stopped, there was a small moment, where Mina saw through hundreds of buildings, all with perfect, circular holes in them.
Her amazing eyesight was able to pick up on so many details from the sight.
Like an arm having fallen to the ground, the rest of the person it had belonged to, taken by the beam.
Or a young girl sitting in complete shock at a dinner table as the entire rest of it, and whoever had been sitting with her had ceased to exist.
And that was from glimpses where there were still signs of people.
...
If you want to read ahead of the public release, or just want to support me.
You can join my p atreon :
[email protected]/Huvnn