Carl realized something important halfway through the fight.
This was a terrible place to keep fighting.
Every second he remained out in the open was a chance for him to be cought.
Kamui Woods was a strategic fighter.
He didn't know where hero agencies were.
Throwing out roots in ways to block his movements and keep him within a close range where he would try to sneer him in place for good.
The Ock-drone crashed through another wooden restraint.
KRASH!
Splinters exploded across the rooftop.
Kamui Woods immediately sent another wave of branches after him.
Carl didn't wait.
The drone spun.
Its tentacles dug into concrete.
Then launched.
BOOM!
The machine shot toward a nearby office building.
"What are you doing?" Kamui Woods shouted.
Carl ignored him.
The drone slammed through a glass window.
CRASH!
Office workers screamed.
Papers exploded into the air.
Computers toppled from desks.
The machine skidded across polished flooring before immediately sprinting toward the opposite side of the building.
"Sorry!"
Carl shouted.
"I'm being blackmailed!"
Nobody seemed reassured by that.
The drone burst through another window.
CRASH!
It launched into open air.
The wind howled past him.
WHIP!
Wooden branches smashed through the broken window behind him.
Kamui Woods followed.
Relentlessly.
Carl cursed.
"Why won't this guy quit?!"
Static crackled through the walkie-talkie.
"Because that's literally his job."
The calm voice sounded almost amused.
"Keep moving."
Carl gritted his teeth.
The drone crashed through a second office building.
Glass shattered.
People screamed.
A meeting room erupted into chaos.
One businessman dropped his coffee.
Another dropped his laptop.
A third simply stared at the giant robotic octopus sprinting through the conference room.
Carl didn't stop.
He burst through another wall.
Another hallway.
Another window.
The city became a blur.
Yet somehow Kamui Woods kept following.
The hero moved across the buildings with terrifying speed.
Wooden branches shot from rooftop to rooftop.
Each one trying to trap him.
Each one narrowly missing.
Carl could feel panic rising.
He couldn't keep this up forever.
His eyes landed on another office floor packed with workers.
An idea formed.
A horrible idea.
"No..."
Carl muttered.
The walkie-talkie crackled.
"You've thought of something."
"I don't like it."
"That usually means it'll work."
Carl hated how right that sounded.
The drone smashed through another office window.
Employees jumped from their desks.
Several screamed.
Before anyone could react, Carl's tentacles wrapped around chairs, desks, and workers alike.
"What are you doing?!"
"I'M SORRY!"
The drone launched several people out of the shattered windows in quick succession.
Not toward the street.
Upward.
Toward nearby rooftops.
This was to insure their safety.
But from a distance, it looked like they were falling.
Kamui Woods saw it immediately.
His entire expression changed.
The hero abandoned pursuit without hesitation.
Wood exploded outward.
Branches shot through the air.
Catching the office workers before they could hit anything.
Carl felt a stab of guilt.
But he kept moving.
The moment Kamui Woods focused elsewhere, the drone accelerated.
"I've lost him... "
The walkie-talkie crackled.
The world kept moving as Kamui Woods faded behind him,
And the boy on the other side of the walkie talkie began guiding him again.
For several minutes Carl simply followed the directions coming through.
Left.
Right.
Straight.
Across rooftops.
Through alleys.
Past apartment complexes.
Toward a quiet residential district.
Eventually the voice spoke again.
"You're close."
Carl's stomach tightened.
A image appeared in his memory.
Green hair.
Kind eyes.
Inko Midoriya.
His target.
The apartment building came into view.
Carl landed on a neighboring rooftop.
The drone crouched low.
He discribed the incoming building, then waited for his response.
"That's it."
The voice sounded satisfied.
"Third floor."
Carl stared at the apartment building.
A warm light glowed through one of the windows.
People were inside.
Talking.
Laughing.
Living their lives.
A painful memory flashed through his mind.
His family.
His jaw tightened.
The drone's tentacles flexed.
Then he jumped.
CRASH!
Glass exploded inward.
Carl burst through the apartment window and landed heavily on the living room floor.
For a moment—
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Steam still rose from the cups on the table.
Inko Midoriya stood frozen beside the couch.
Izumi's eyes widened in shock.
And sitting beside her—
Aoyama Hikaru stared directly at Carl.
As if he had been expecting him all along.
The moment passed in less than a second.
"Auntie! Izumi! Get behind me!"
Aoyama shot to his feet.
Inko finally snapped out of her shock—
Only for Carl to move.
His gaze locked onto her instantly.
Target acquired.
The Ock-drone surged forward as one of its tentacles shot across the room.
Izumi's heart seemed to stop as she watched the metal arm racing toward her mother.
VRUMMM!
Aoyama twisted his body and drove blue mana into his fist.
TING!
His punch collided with the incoming tentacle, knocking it off course before it could reach Inko.
"Argh!"
Pain shot through his hand from the rushed impact.
Inko stumbled backward, narrowly avoiding the pincer as it snapped shut inches from her face.
Her legs gave out.
She collapsed to her knees, clutching her chest.
"M-Mom!"
Izumi rushed to her side immediately.
Carl retracted the damaged tentacle and glanced at the dent now visible in the metal.
"...Just my luck."
He clicked his tongue.
"This family isn't ordinary after all."
His eyes shifted toward the boy standing protectively in front of the others.
Aoyama's expression had gone completely still.
Only the faint tremor in his injured hand betrayed the pain he was feeling.
"I don't know who you are," Aoyama said evenly, "but you picked the wrong home to break into."
For a brief moment, Carl hesitated.
Looking at the frightened mother.
The terrified daughter.
The boy standing between them.
He almost felt sorry for them.
Almost.
"Kid..."
His voice lowered slightly.
"I'm sorry."
But he couldn't afford sympathy.
Not now.
The drone's mechanical limbs spread outward as Carl settled into a combat stance.
"Just stand down and let me do what I came here to do."
The red glow of the machine's sensors brightened.
"I don't want to hurt anyone more than I have to."
Aoyama glanced over his shoulder.
At Inko.
At Izumi.
Then he looked back at Carl.
"If I stood by and let something happen to my best friend..."
His gaze shifted briefly toward Inko.
"...and the woman kind enough to welcome me into her home..."
He slowly raised his injured fist.
"...I wouldn't be able to live with myself."
Soft green plus signs appeared around his bruised knuckles.
One after another.
The swelling began to fade.
The pain started to disappear.
His hand healed before Carl's eyes.
And when Aoyama looked up again—
There wasn't a trace of hesitation left on his face.
"Now."
He stepped forward.
"Why don't you tell me who sent you?"
Carl's eyes narrowed.
"I'm not here for you, kid."
"That's unfortunate."
Aoyama's fist glowed brighter.
Blue mana crackled around his knuckles.
"Because I'm standing in your way."