Izuku Midoriya: Ultra Instinct

Seeing the Light

Switching gears, we head down south to see a sight that was very...interesting  to say the least.

There are two figures running at incredible speeds, but it's less "two figures running" and more "one figure dragging the other".

"UNHAND ME YOU FILTH!!" The figure being dragged yelled out before breaking free and tumbling to a stop due to the speed they were traveling at. This figure turned out to be Lior, and the scowl on his face was warranted, given the circumstances.

The running figure stopped, and his back was faced towards Lior. He witnessed this figure pull out some orange juice and sip on it, before slowly turning around to reveal himself to be yet another member of Ochako's group of rebels: Iida.

"This should be far enough," Iida commented as he finished his orange juice and let a small smile grace his face. "How refreshing!"

Lior growled at him before standing up fully straight and raising his head, making sure his nose was lifted up, effectively making himself look down upon Iida.

"So, you brought me all the way here," Lior began, purposely ignoring the fact he was dragged against his will. "What's your plan, glasses? Huh? Are you going to defeat me?"

"I must." Iida answered immediately—his eyes never leaving his target.

"An arrogant one, huh?" Lior responded as he guffawed at the idea of Iida truly defeating him.

"No," Iida shook his head. "I have witnessed arrogance face to face, and I have suffered from the disease myself. This is not arrogance—this is conviction."

Lior stopped laughing and narrowed his eyes. His arm became covered in light as he lifted it in front of his face and clenched his fist: "What do you know about conviction?"

"Celestial Dragon is a marvelous organization created to instill true peace within the world. I don't know how long you've been at this little shtick of yours, but the world is a lot bigger than you think it is, boy. The ability to influence all of it in its entirety—the will to do so no matter the cost—that is conviction." Lior finished as he released the light from his arms as particles in the sky, creating a more aesthetic scene to further his point.

"So your idea is to destroy the world before you recreate it in your image?" Iida questioned Lior.

"To destroy this society-" Lior corrected, before continuing. " -that enables losers and unworthy fools to call themselves heroes after passing some tests and going to school. To eradicate the idea that being a hero is a simple 9-to-5. These fan clubs and popularity rankings are a poison to the world, and Celestial Dragon is cleansing it. I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand the convictions of a god like myself, but I'll save you the trouble and say: you're welcome."

Iida stared at Lior with an unchanging gaze. It softened a little before he began to speak to his opposition.

"I won't pretend that this world is perfect, and I won't even disagree that the system is flawed." Iida conceded as he lowered his head. "I saw the corruption with my own eyes. A fellow classmate and person I considered a rival, or at the very least the gold standard for the amount of power that could be achieved—I saw the system ostracize him the moment they got a chance. They let him be arrested, and they helped sow the seeds that started this war. I am not ignorant to that fact. I understand the chain of events, and I understand why we are standing here today."

Iida hardened his expression and looked directly at Lior, causing Lior to become surprised a bit and caught off guard: "However," Iida began as he continued. "That does not give you the right to decide that this society we as humans have created is obsolete and must be destroyed. No one deserves that kind of influence, regardless of quirk. You called yourself a 'god'?  Well you're not. You're a human who's following another human who has lost his way, and we are here to help him find it. That means I must defeat you here, no matter the cost."