Chapter 37 - Decisive Move!

*ROAR!!!*

In a flash, Nomu appeared right in front of Mai, but this time, she had anticipated it since she received the initial attack. Focusing her gaze on Nomu's punch, its trajectory became as clear as day for her. And unlike before, somehow, the world seems to slow down in her perspective.

Her pace has been fastened. The innate reaction ability that she obtained because of her years of playing Touhou is truly terrifying. Just by receiving an attack once before, she was already getting used to the speed. Combined with her agility stats that are out of the chart, almost nothing can touch her in this world anymore.

While these happened...

"*Gulp!*" Izuku, Mineta, and the frog girl Asui have been secretly watching from the bushes on what happened since Nemu was still playing with Eraserhead's body. They wanted to save him back then, but went back to hide in the bushes again as Nemu moved away to deal with the newcomer, Vigilant Yaksha.

Now that they saw Nemu suddenly appearing in front of her again, they were worried that she would get hurt and lose the fight. And if that happened, they didn't know what fate would be brought to them, the students, if they had to struggle against that enormous jet-black creature in which their teacher couldn't even stand a chance of fighting.

Back to Mai...

'On the chest, huh?' Predicting Nomu's aim, Mai lightly jumped and landed with one foot on top of Nomu's mid-punching big arm, before she immediately hopped once more and perfectly landed on the ground, right behind the bird-headed creature.

It all happened so quickly. Her movements could be likened to immortal non-Touhou fairies. They were soft and graceful.

'Woah!'

Nomu's strike merely hits the air. Shigaraki, Izuku, Mineta, and Asui were in shock. Mai's action was just too fast for them to perceive. The only time where they could see her clearly, is when she was still in mid-air and on her way down to land on the ground.

Realizing that its attack had just failed, Nomu instantly turned around while giving Mai a side punch. Predicting the trajectory once more, Mai just steps back for a few tens of centimeters while the attack literally grazes against her nose.

'Yeah, having small boobs is better, if I have big ones...' Imagining what would happen, Mai felt that herself is superior to those cowgirls.

[Host, I don't think now is the right time for that! Also, if yours is as big as you said, then I'm sure it's still possible for you to take a few more steps back!]

'S-Shut up! I'm just trying to justif- Oops!' While the conversation happened in her head, Mai leans her body to the side as another one of Nomu's strikes just bypasses her once more.

And then she dodges another one, and another one, and another one.

...

And another one.

"W-What's the meaning of this?! S-She's a hacker! A FQING CHEATER!!! THERE'S NO WAY THAT THIS IS POSSIBLE! THAT CREATURE WAS MADE TO TAKE ON ALL MIGHT AT 100%!!!" Shigaraki was hysterical seeing that none of Nomu's attacks were connected to its target. Every single one of them missed.

"But I'm not All Might though..." Mai replied monotonously. But of course, the volume was too small for him to hear it.

"ARRGGGHHHH!!!!!" He was stressful

↗↘↗↘↗↘↗↘↗↘

"That... That..." As for Izuku, he muttered while he stood up from the bush. Then, he took a bit of steps forward, as if he wanted to see the battle up close.

"H-Hey, Midoriya! What are you doing?! They'll find out about our location!" Mineta was scared stiff when he noticed what Midoriya was doing.

"What is it, Midoriya-chan?" Asui was more level-headed. She knew that the enemies didn't have the time to focus on them, so she asked calmly.

"That Vigilant Yaksha... She... She's not just dodging randomly... Every... Every single graze... All of them-"

*Gulp!*

"-Is over 100% of her capability!!!"

*Gasp!* *Suprised Pikachu's face!*

↗↘↗↘↗↘↗↘↗↘

'...Left rib, and the next one would be my head, and then it would come from the left, owh, the left arm also moves, making a pincer attack, wow, right after I jumped, it's now an uppercut. And then-'

*Shiwsh!* *Whoosh* *Bam!* *Vish! *Huuuu!*

Mai foresaw every attack that Nomu made and effortlessly moves her body to deal with each of them flawlessly. She didn't even fight back. No, not because she can't. But because she didn't want to waste this chance. It's actually rare for her to train by herself, because it's so boring. Now that she had a partner to have a spar, she didn't want to miss this opportunity at all.

*Ro-arRoarRoarRoarRoarRoarRoarRoarRoar! ROAR!!!*

Nomu's onslaught also became more fierce and swifter as its momentum continues to rise. There's no pattern to them at all. But it's not a problem for Mai. Every time she successfully avoids one of them, she's also getting better.

The commotion was moreover heard by the surrounding students. They also observe the fight from afar, after they beat the weak-ass villains that surrounded them respectively. None of them dared to get close as they didn't want to get swept in by the aftermath.

'Tch! They're really were ugly. Maybe it's time to finish this off!' Mai thought to herself as she dissed Nemu's bizarre way of attack, while she moves around it elegantly and keeps on evading its rapid punches.

In fact, Mai's not the only one who wanted this to end. Shigaraki also already lost all of his patients.

"NOOOMUUU!!! QUICKLY! CRUSH HER NOW!!!" He shouted at Nomu with a no-brainer instruction. Yet the creature still heard it loud and clear. It incorporated both of its hands and heave them on top of its head. Aiming for Mai, it then drops them to the ground.

*Boom!*

Of course, before that happened, Mai already rolled to the front and went past below Nomu's crotch with her small body. She then quickly stood up, before she lightly jumped once more. But this time, she positioned both of her mid-air legs toward Nemu's back. After that...

"(High Jump)" Mai muttered. She didn't need to. Yet she felt good saying it.

It was one of the earliest abilities that she had received. Looking at its name, the effect of the skill is pretty obvious. But what if it was used horizontally, and not at the ground?

So, anyway... Mai started blasting.

*Whoosh!*

Nomu didn't even stagger a little even when receiving an attack with a high amount of force because of its (Shock Absorption) quirk. The distance between them became very large.

Mai pulls out two of Sakuya's Throwing Knife from her inventory and holds them backward with both of her hands. Her body bends a little as if preparing to push herself forward.

'This is it, huh?' Mai reckoned to herself.

[Host! Let's end this with style!]

'Yeah...'

Mai gripped her weapons hard as she dashes forward at the same time when she saw Nomu did it.

The audience felt like their hearts were being gripped. Some of them, especially the students other than Izuku felt that both Mai and Nomu has almost the same power as they thought Mai couldn't counter-attack at all previously. Now that she did, and it's also an all-out attack nonetheless, with both sides having high acceleration that they'll gain from running in a distance.

The audience were wondering who would win between these two within this decisive move. The result would decide on what fate they would have right after.

"aaaaaa..."

*ROAR!!!!*

Both Mai and Nomu were closing in and then... The knives in Mai's hands flashes.

As if they've passed against one and another, they thus stopped moving with a few meters distance between them. They've both stood still like a statue, with their back facing each other.

The atmosphere became much more tense, the longer the period was in motion.

Who would win? Who would lose? Only the time would tell.

As the seconds passed, the first one that shows some movements was Mai, as she fells down to one knee, with both of her weapons broke and shattered into pieces.