The beast tensed, ready to counter, but before it could react, a massive fist crashed into its side, launching it across the room. Tamaki had seized the opportunity to strike, closing the distance in a blur and slamming his powerful arm made out tentacles into the creature's ribs.
The dog-like beast twisted in midair, using its claws and tail to anchor itself to the ground before it could be thrown too far. Snarling, it retaliated instantly, whipping its tail with devastating force. The impact shattered Tamaki's armored shell and tore through several of his tentacles, sending a spray of blood into the air.
Tamaki gritted his teeth as he was hurled backward, crashing against the wall with a dull thud. The creature lunged at him without hesitation, determined to finish him off before he could recover.
Raiden acted in an instant. With a telekinetic pulse, he yanked Tamaki toward him, pulling him out of the way just as he formed a crackling sphere of dark energy between his hands. He thrust his arms forward, releasing the attack. The orb shot toward the beast and exploded on impact, engulfing it in a wave of energy and forcing it to skid back.
But it wasn't done yet.
The beast roared and lunged again. This time, Raiden conjured a Psycho Cut, while Tamaki, regaining his footing, generated two massive, armored octopus-like tentacles, each tipped with gleaming blades, courtesy of a praying mantis.
Their combined assault struck fast. Raiden's psychic blade slashed through the air toward the beast's tail, while Tamaki's bladed tentacles lunged for its body.
The creature reacted with terrifying speed. It twisted its tail to block Psycho Cut, catching the attack mid-air. At the same time, it snapped its powerful jaws around one of Tamaki's tentacle blades and caught the second with its massive claws.
For a moment, the two forces clashed, locked in a battle of sheer strength. Then, Raiden's psychic energy surged. His Psycho Cut pulsed with raw power and sliced clean through the beast's tail, severing it in one swift motion.
The creature let out an agonized howl, stumbling back as pain coursed through its body.
But it refused to back down.
With renewed rage, it clenched its jaws tighter around Tamaki's tentacle blade, the sound of cracking metal ringing out as it finally snapped. At the same time, its claws twisted with brutal force, completely tearing off Tamaki's remaining tentacle.
Tamaki gasped as pain shot through him, but before the beast could press its advantage, Raiden struck again.
Three Confusion blasts shot forward, hitting the beast square in the face. Its snarl turned into a pained grunt as its eyes went wide, suddenly unfocused. It staggered, blinking rapidly, its mind clouded by the psychic assault.
Seeing his chance, Raiden activated Double Team, splitting his form into multiple illusions that flickered around the room, further disorienting the beast.
Tamaki, understanding Raiden's strategy, took to the air. Beating his wings hard, he soared toward the ceiling. Using the momentum, he kicked off the structure and propelled himself downward, aiming directly for the confused beast with a final, decisive strike.
Tamaki's legs shifted, morphing into powerful hawk talons as he dove toward the beast.
With pinpoint accuracy, he struck the creature square in the nose, his razor-sharp claws tearing deep into its snout. The dog let out a guttural howl, reeling back as blood dripped from its wounded face.
More than just pain, the attack robbed it of its sense of smell, disorienting it further.
Raiden seized the moment. Activating Double Team again, he created more illusions of himself, each flickering in and out of view as he repositioned to mix his smell into the air.
While the beast struggled to track him, he charged another Psycho Cut, his hands glowing with raw psychic energy.
Twin blades of cutting force tore through the air, slicing clean through the creature's hind legs. A strangled yelp escaped its throat as its body collapsed, its limbs giving out beneath it. The once-imposing beast now lay sprawled on the ground, unable to stand.
Finally, the victory was within their reach.
Tamaki followed up immediately. A tentacle lashed forward, with a blade formed in the tip, its blade glinting before slashing across the dog's face.
A deep, brutal cut ran over its eyes. The beast recoiled, its sight stolen in an instant.
Blinded and crippled, the creature let out a furious, ear-splitting roar.
Panic took hold as it lashed out wildly, unleashing powerful Soundwaves in every direction. The force shattered nearby walls, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the ceiling. The room trembled under the sonic assault.
Some of the shockwaves missed, tearing through the space beside them, but others struck their mark. The impact sent both Raiden and Tamaki flying, crashing hard against the ruined floor as debris rained around them.
As Raiden and Tamaki struggled to their feet after being thrown across the room, they saw the dog still unleashing powerful Sonic Waves in every direction.
The relentless shockwaves shattered the walls, cracked the ceiling, and sent jagged debris tumbling from above. The entire structure was on the verge of collapse.
Raiden quickly scanned his surroundings. There was no time to hesitate.
He activated Agility once more, his movements becoming a blur as he dashed toward the beast. Weaving between the incoming shockwaves and falling rubble, he closed the distance in seconds. As he reached the dog's head, he leaped into the air, twisting mid-spin.
His legs glowed with power.
Raiden struck with two precise Mega Kicks, one with each leg. The first blow barely fazed the creature, its natural defenses absorbing much of the impact. But the second kick hit harder, forcing the beast's face down against the cracked floor with a heavy thud.
The dog let out a low, guttural growl, still conscious despite the damage.
Raiden didn't let up. Without missing a beat, he clenched both fists and charged energy into them, his knuckles shimmering with power. Mega Punch.
With all his strength, he slammed both fists into the same spot on the dog's skull. A deep, reverberating boom echoed through the room, like a war drum being struck.
The beast staggered, dazed and wounded, but still standing.
Raiden narrowed his eyes. He propelled himself into the air using Telekinesis, spinning rapidly as he gathered energy for one final strike. When the moment was right, he twisted his body and delivered a devastating Mega Kick straight to the dog's head.
The impact sent a shockwave through the ground. The beast's body tensed for a moment before its head slammed into the rubble with a loud crack. Dust and debris rose into the air as the room trembled.
Silence followed.
The fight was over.
Raiden exhaled sharply, feeling the exhaustion settle into his body. His arms trembled, his legs ached, and his entire frame was covered in bruises. His ears rang with a sharp, piercing buzz from the lingering effects of the Sonic Waves.
Then he spotted Tamaki.
The boy stumbled out from the remains of a collapsed wall, blood dripping from his nose and ears. Cuts covered his body, some deeper than others, and a crimson trail ran down from the corner of his eye. The final attack had caught him in a bad position, dealing far more damage than it should have.
Without hesitation, Raiden rushed to his side.
Summoning his energy, he cast Life Dew, a shimmering veil of healing water forming around them. The cool droplets mended Tamaki's wounds, sealing his cuts and easing the pain. As the restorative energy seeped into his own injuries, Raiden let out a relieved breath.
This ability had always been one of their greatest assets—allowing them to push beyond their limits, to fight long past what their endurance should allow.
Meanwhile, as the boys finished their battle, Endeavor remained locked in a brutal clash against the one who, by sheer strength alone, seemed to be the leader of the enemy group.
Their fight had begun underground, but within moments, they had broken through to the surface, where their duel of fire and destruction raged in full force.
The ground beneath them melted into molten slag, unable to withstand the heat of their battle.
Endeavor's crimson flames clashed violently against his opponent's black fire, the two forces battling for dominance. Neither combatant gave an inch, exchanging blow after blow, their attacks leaving fiery scars across the ruined landscape.
As they fought, Endeavor analyzed his surroundings. The battlefield was an abandoned industrial wasteland, littered with rusting shipping containers and empty warehouses. No civilians. No restrictions. Here, he could unleash his full power without holding back.
With a sharp inhale, he gathered flames into his hands and unleashed a powerful blast.
"Jet Fire!"
A surge of scorching red flames erupted from his palms, tearing through the air toward his opponent. But the enemy engulfed in his own smoky black inferno, didn't flinch. Instead, he responded in kind.
"Hell Burst!"
A wave of dark flames roared forward, colliding head-on with Endeavor's attack. The impact sent a massive wall of fire surging into the sky, reaching nearly thirthy meters high. The surrounding air instantly became a suffocating furnace, the heat so intense that any ordinary person would have dropped dead from asphyxiation.
But for them, this was their natural element.
The more fire they created, the hotter the battlefield became—and the easier it was for them to control their flames.
Endeavor didn't hesitate, on the contrary.
Without wasting a second, he prepared his next attack. Crossing his arms tightly against his chest, he gathered a concentrated torrent of flames in his hands. Then, with a swift, decisive motion, he flung his arms outward.
"Hell Spider!"
Endeavor unleashed a storm of fire whips, each one lashing through the battlefield, igniting everything in its path.
The already blazing wasteland became an even deeper inferno, the ground glowing with molten heat.
But his opponent didn't remain idle. Even with their fire-based quirks and natural resistance, neither of them was truly immune to the flames.
The man in black pressed a hand to the ground, and instantly, a surge of dark fire erupted outward, rushing toward Endeavor like a living creature. As the flames advanced, they twisted and took shape.
"Black Mamba."
The enemy's voice carried a hint of amusement, a smirk playing on his flamy face as the dark flames solidified into multiple writhing serpent heads, each one hissing at Endeavor's fiery assault.
The moment the two flames collided, a violent explosion ripped through the air.
A shockwave blasted outward, tearing through the battlefield and sending both combatants skidding backward.
Instinctively, they conjured protective barriers of flame, shielding themselves from the worst of the impact. Even so, the force of the explosion forced Endeavor back several meters, his boots digging into the scorched ground as he fought to stay upright.
He exhaled, feeling the burn in his lungs. It had been a while since he faced a challenge of this caliber.
The man in black wasn't as powerful as endeavor—but to make up for that, he was skilled, and, more than that, his quirk was eerily similar to Endeavor's. Making it difficult for him to hurt each other.
"But the same goes for me," Endeavor thought, narrowing his eyes. "He can't scratch me with his fire. And my flames are still stronger, but the way his quirk manifests around his body, it make it quite resistant."
Then a thought struck him.
"If I cover my entire body in flames... No, that would burn me alive. I wouldn't be able to breathe. Unless..."
His eyes widened slightly as he pieced it together.
"That's what he's doing."
Without hesitation, Endeavor summoned his flames, stretching them outward in a controlled burst. From nine meters away, the fire twisted and raced toward him, forming a dome around his body.
And then, in an instant, it reshaped.
The dome expanded, towering over him, morphing into a massive, burning figure.
Standing at nearly five meters tall, Endeavor had transformed into a towering figure of pure fire.
The air around him twisted, distorted by the sheer heat radiating from his body.
The ground beneath him cracked and melted more and more, glowing with embers, while the remaining structures in the area wavered like mirages, as if submerged in water.
Anyone watching from a distance would see a massive, burning titan—its form flickering yet unmistakably solid, a living inferno.
"Aegis Inferno."
Endeavor's voice rumbled through the battlefield, as he opened his eyes.
End of the chapter.
First chapter of the week! Lately, the book has been growing a lot. I know there are some plot holes in the earlier chapters—it's my first book, after all. I just hope it's getting better with time. I'm open to any comments or suggestions to improve!
Please don't forget to leave some power stones! This week I reached over a hundred, so I'll be posting another chapter as a thank-you!