Chapter 121: Chapter 121 : Cracks in the Sky
The sky over Kamino cracked open.
It wasn't a storm. Not yet. But something hung heavy in the clouds—an oppressive pressure, like the city itself was holding its breath.
Smoke curled up from shattered concrete and scorched storefronts. Sirens wailed over a chorus of shouting voices, barking orders, and rumbling quakes. The ground trembled every few minutes from distant blasts. Somewhere deeper in the district, a battle had already begun.
"Evacuate block F and G! We have fires on 4th and collapsed structures on 9th! Move it!"
Kamino Ward was on fire.
And amid it all, a figure stood atop a ruined overpass, his silhouette outlined by flickering flames. All Might.
He faced a figure cloaked in shadows and tendrils, a being that seemed less like a man and more like something born of smoke and malice. All For One.
Floating drones hovered around them, broadcasting the confrontation to the entire nation.
People at home stopped eating. Children stared wide-eyed from behind couches. Teachers paused classes, students crowding around smartphones. Every eye in Japan turned toward the Kamino feed.
---
In a dark alley four blocks away, Kana knelt beside her mother, who had fainted during the chaos. Her hands trembled as she adjusted her unconscious mother's scarf and glanced toward the rising black smoke.
They had been shopping. A simple day out.
Now they were trapped.
Kana swallowed hard and looked around. No heroes. No rescue workers. Just cracked pavement, distant shouting, and the faint echo of battle.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. No signal.
She could feel it. Something terrible was about to happen.
---
At Minato Base, the emergency line blared. Officers barked orders. Young heroes suited up and rushed out.
But the feeds were locked on one screen: the confrontation between All Might and All For One.
In the corner, one monitor displayed other zones of the city. One blinked red.
"Kamino, Sector 4. Civilian presence confirmed. No rescue unit in range."
No one moved fast enough.
---
Sayaka stood in the hospital hallway, frozen in front of a wall-mounted television.
She wasn't on duty. She had just finished checking on Satoru's mother, who lay unconscious, her vitals steady but unchanged.
Now, on the screen, All Might braced for battle.
She whispered, "Where are you, Kojima..."
---
Miyako stood behind the counter at the flower shop, hands clutching a bouquet too tightly.
The screen on the radio showed static for a moment, then the live broadcast resumed. She saw Kamino burning. Saw All Might facing a monster.
She didn't know where Satoru was.
But her gut twisted.
---
At that moment, Satoru Kojima was riding hard.
His wheels skidded across cracked asphalt. His helmet, goggles, and armor all bore signs of wear. He gripped the handlebars tighter, weaving between abandoned cars and fallen signs. He didn't know where he was needed most.
But he knew the city.
He knew where the bottlenecks were. Where civilians might still be trapped. Where the shelters had overflowed.
He headed toward the smoke.
The signal in his earpiece crackled. Static. Nothing.
He peddled harder.
---
High above the burning city, the drones zoomed in as All For One raised a hand, and the air itself seemed to freeze.
Viewers held their breath.
All Might tensed.
But this wasn't the moment yet.
It was only the beginning.
The sky hadn't broken open.
Not yet.