This Thing A Quiet Madness Made

Chapter 16

She didn't respond as she brushed her fingers against the thread binding them. The fibers snapped under her light touch and fell limp as the copies jumped to their feet, thanking her with a salute before rushing off.

She leapt to the side as an enormous fist smashed into the ground where she stood, chunks of concrete exploding from the impact. She looked up to see Mt. Lady, half-laying where she had left her, one arm supporting herself as her lower half remained limp. Gritting her teeth, the hero lifted her giant fist and grabbed at her again. Her movements were notably slower than before, not even close to reaching Naoko before the girl cleanly jumped out of the way. A loud boom sounded from the impact below as she landed on a piece of flying debris, her eyes brushing over it as it glided to a halt midair. Mt. Lady strained to reach for the girl again when a sudden pressure slammed down on her back. She cried painfully as her arm gave out beneath her, unable to brace her fall before she smashed into the ground with a deafening crack.

A blast of fire shot past her head as Naoko twisted to the side just in time, narrowly dodging the raging heat as a few strands of her hair singed away.

Her eyes turned to meet the blazing form of Endeavor as he shouted something at her, though his exact words were too indistinct for her to understand. He frowned dangerously as he raised his hands and unleashed another blast of fire, the heat bursting at her almost instantly. Naoko shifted the stone beneath her and ducked away from the flames, only to be met by a blazing fist only inches from her face. She quickly frowned, eyes flicking down as Endeavor suddenly felt an immense force slam into his stomach, sending him flying back and crashing into a nearby building.

He grunted as pain blossomed in the back of his head, but he paid it no mind as he blasted right back towards the girl, both palms outstretched as he unleashed a barrage of red-hot bursts one after another. She swiftly maneuvered around each fireball, the heat closing in on her as they tore past, their red glow obscuring more and more of her vision. She pulled sharply to the side in an effort to escape the assault, but they kept barreling towards her regardless of how she dodged.

Suddenly, the flames stopped, the last one dying out and leaving the empty air uncomfortably hot. It only took a split second for her to notice Endeavor had disappeared.

Her eyes instantly narrowed, the stone beneath her feet pivoting defensively as her eyes swept the area.

A faint glow abruptly peeked into the corner of her vision as a rush of heat enveloped her skin.

"Behind you!" a voice somewhere shouted.

She jerked forward, her head swiveling behind her as the red glow rapidly grew brighter, reflecting like a beacon in her eyes as fire filled her vision.

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Todoroki stood frozen to the ground as he watched the raging battle above him.

"What the hell is she doing?!" Kirishima asked frantically as his wild gaze followed Naoko's darting movements.

"Why is she- why is she siding with the villains? What's going on?" Yaoyorozu frowned, bewildered.

Midoriya grit his teeth as he helplessly watched his friend clash fiercely with the number two hero. What in the world was she thinking? Why would she be fighting against the heroes? Why was she standing with all those villains earlier? And since when could she fight like that? A chill crept up his spine as he caught a glimpse of her face through the action: a cold, hard expression that dumbfounded him.

Those were not the eyes of the Naoko he knew.

"Behind you!" Todoroki suddenly shouted. His breath caught as he saw Naoko turn a second too late as his father appeared behind her, his fist pulled back and blazing fatally.