Hey hope yall enjoy this chapter im a little iffy on it my self but I hope yall enjoy
Chapter 35
Nighteye stood in his office, eyes locked on the multiple screens displaying live feeds of the chaos spreading across Osaka. Reports were coming in of explosions, collapsing buildings, and civilian casualties mounting by the minute. He had already sent out several teams for search and rescue, but one name had gone quiet.
Ratio
He tapped his earpiece, keeping his voice calm and measured.
"Lemillion. Status report. Both yours and Ratio's."
There was a short pause before Mirio's voice came through, slightly winded but steady.
"I'm still on search and rescue, sir. Haven't run into anything major on my end. Haven't heard from Ratio in a while though. Last I knew he was handling overwatch on one of the rooftops where we were operating."
Nighteye's expression didn't change, but something in his posture shifted.
"Understood. Stay on your current task for now. I'll look into it."
He ended the call and immediately sent a runner to Cid's last known location. The man radioed in several minutes later with a report that made Nighteye's eyes narrow.
"The building he was positioned on has light structural damage. The one directly across from it looks like something was launched into it, hard. There's debris everywhere."
Before Nighteye could respond, more reports started flooding in.
A monster, some kind of massive, dark-skinned creature, had appeared and attacked a group of civilians being escorted to safety. It had been blasted away by something before it could reach them. Similar incidents were being reported across the area. One of the responding heroes described seeing another figure fighting the creature, giving a vague description that matched Cid's closely.
Nighteye didn't hesitate.
"Mirio. Redirect to these coordinates immediately. Ratio is in combat and possibly needs help."
He was looking through the surveillance cameras when a broadcast cut across one of the screens. A news helicopter was hovering over the central district, its camera zooming in on a rooftop battle between a hero and what looked like a high-end Nomu. The feed sharpened.
Nighteye froze.
There, clearly visible even through the shaky camera, was Cid, panting, blood running down the side of his head, eyes locked on the creature in front of him.
For a split second, Nighteye said nothing.
Then his voice came out low and sharp.
"Mirio, I need you to double time it, here's the new location Cids in trouble. Get there now."
-minutes earlier news crew-
The news helicopter cut through the smoke-filled sky above Osaka, its rotors chopping loudly through the air. Below them, the city was a patchwork of destruction. Several buildings had completely collapsed, while others leaned at dangerous angles, their windows shattered and frames twisted. Thick plumes of dust and smoke rose from multiple points across the district, but from above, it was clear the damage was concentrated rather than widespread.
"—still no official word on the scale of the attack, but it looks to be contained to the district below." one of the reporters said into her headset, voice steady despite the chaos below. "Emergency services are reporting multiple incidents across the central district, but so far the response has been swift. We're seeing search and rescue teams already moving into the hardest-hit areas—"
"Hold on," the cameraman cut in suddenly. "I'm seeing movement down there. I'm going to zoom in on it."
The camera operator adjusted the lens, zooming in on a pair of figures moving across the rooftops. One was clearly a hero in dark gear, his movements sharp and precise despite the obvious injuries. The other was a massive, hulking shape that didn't look human at all.
"Is that—?" the reporter leaned forward. "Zoom in closer on the hero. Can we get a better look at his face?"
The feed sharpened.
One of the crew members in the back of the helicopter leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "Hey… isn't that the guy who won this year's UA Sports Festival?"
The camera focused on Cid's face. He was panting hard, one hand pressed against his side as if holding broken ribs in place. Blood ran freely down the left side of his head, staining his collar and dripping onto the rooftop beneath him. His eyes were sharp and focused, but there was no mistaking the exhaustion and pain written across his features.
"Yeah," another voice confirmed quietly. "That's him. Yea i think his name was Kageno cid if i remember correctly."
---
Across the country, in her temporary room Yui sat in front of a small television. It had been nearly twenty minutes since Cid had abruptly ended their call. She had tried texting him twice with no response. Her internship had been quiet so far, but the sudden news alerts lighting up her phone had pulled her to the screen. Showing attacks on multiple cities across the country, but the most destruction was in Hosu, Tokyo, and Osaka according reports.
She flipped through channels until she found the live coverage from Osaka.
Her breath caught.
The camera was zoomed in on Cid, showing him clearly now. He was bleeding from the side of his head, his breathing visibly labored as he stood on the rooftop. Even from this distance, she could see how much pain he was in only because she had learned to read him over their time together.
Yui covered her mouth with both hands, eyes wide.
She had knewn he was strong, She's seen him fight and train. But seeing him like this hurt, alone, and clearly in the middle of something far more dangerous than she had imagined made her chest tighten painfully.
"Come on, Cid…" she whispered, her voice barely audible. Her hands curled into fists against her knees. "You can do it. You got this."
---
In a crowded emergency shelter on the outskirts of Osaka, a young boy sat between his parents, eyes glued to the small television mounted on the wall. His mother kept a protective arm around his shoulders, while his father watched in tense silence.
The boy suddenly sat up straighter.
"That's him!" he shouted, pointing at the screen. "That's the hero who saved me!"
His parents leaned in. On the broadcast, the camera zoomed in on the hero's face, bloodied, exhausted, but still standing.
The boy's voice grew louder, filled with worry and excitement all at once.
"Come on, mister! You can do it!!"
---
Back on the news helicopter, the fight had escalated.
The massive creature had begun changing tactics. Instead of solely pursuing the hero, it started veering toward clusters of civilians still being moved to safety. Each time the hero appeared to intercept or redirect debris, the Nomu would press the advantage, forcing him to split his attention.
The camera crew watched in growing unease.
"He's trying to protect them," one of the reporters muttered. "But that thing's using the civilians against him."
On the ground, the Nomu grabbed a massive section of collapsed building and hurled it forward. The debris broke apart mid-air, spreading out into a wide, scattered wave aimed at multiple groups of people below.
The hero didn't hesitate.
He stayed where he was, eyes moving rapidly as he used his Quirk to shrink and redirect the falling debris. Piece by piece, he cleared the path, pulling the largest threats away from the civilians with precise control. He didn't have time to move or escape if he did the people below would die.
He chose to save them.
On the broadcast, his face was clearly visible, jaw clenched, eyes sharp with focus, blood still running down his face. There was no hesitation in his movements. Only resolve.
The news crew fell silent for a moment.
Then one of the reporters shouted, voice cracking with panic as if he could be heard from the helicopter.
"Watch out! Behind you—!"
---
Yui slammed both hands down on the table so hard the screen rattled.
"CID, MOVE!" she screamed, her voice raw. Tears were already welling in her eyes as she watched the creature approach rapidly.
In the shelter, the boy's father pulled him closer as the camera stayed locked on the hero's unmoving form.
"Come on, kid…" the man muttered under his breath. "Don't be a hero right now. Just move."
The boy clutched his mother's sleeve, eyes wide and scared.
On the helicopter, the entire crew was shouting at the screen now, as if sheer volume could somehow reach him.
"Watch out!"
"He's not moving—!"
"Shit—!"
The Nomu was already there.
Its arm had transformed into a long, jagged spike. It appeared right beside the hero in an instant, the weapon already thrusting forward with lethal intent. There was no time left.
And then—
A red-gloved hand shot into frame from the side, slamming into the underside of the Nomu's arm and diverting the spike at the last possible second. The attack still connected, tearing through the top of the hero's shoulder instead of his chest. Blood sprayed across the rooftop.
"POWER!!!"
The voice that followed was bright, fierce, and unmistakable.
For a single heartbeat, the hero's face was clearly visible on the broadcast.
His eyes widened in genuine shock.
Then, as the tension visibly broke, a small, tired smile formed on his lips. Blood still ran down his face and shoulder, but it was relieved, almost disbelieving.
His voice came through faintly, picked up by the helicopter's sensitive microphones. Even as he continued rescuing the civilians below.
"Right on time, Lemillion."