"Hah… hah…"
Steel Boy's chosen victim stood frozen in the middle of the street.
She was a petite girl with long, bright blonde hair cascading over her shoulders, wearing a sailor-style school uniform that now looked terribly out of place amid the chaos.
Her name was Himiko Toga.
And at this moment, she was sitting on the ground, pale-faced, staring blankly at the enormous crater just inches in front of her.
A deep pit had been blasted into the asphalt where Steel Boy's fist had struck.
The ground there had collapsed inward like a miniature meteor impact.
Fragments of broken concrete still rolled across the street.
Toga swallowed hard.
A moment ago…
That punch had been aimed directly at her head.
If she hadn't twisted her body away at the last second—
Her skull would have exploded like a watermelon.
And she would've turned into what her classmates jokingly called…
"Miss Beheaded."
The thought made her stomach churn.
That nickname had always been a joke.
A morbid joke.
But suddenly, it felt far too real.
This isn't funny at all…
Her mind screamed only one thing.
Run.
Run.
Run now or you'll die.
But no matter how desperately her brain shouted the command, her body refused to cooperate.
Her legs trembled violently.
The lingering terror of brushing shoulders with death had left them weak and numb.
She tried to stand.
Failed.
Her knees buckled again.
No strength.
No control.
It would take time for the shaking to stop.
Unfortunately—
Time was the one thing she didn't have.
"Oh?"
A deep voice sounded above her.
Steel Boy frowned slightly as he looked down at the blonde girl sitting helplessly on the ground.
"You're still alive?"
His massive figure cast a shadow that swallowed her whole.
The man looked like a walking steel tower—well over two meters tall, his frame swollen with unnatural muscle.
The nickname Steel Boy sounded almost childish.
But there was nothing childish about the monster standing here.
His eyes were bloodshot.
His expression twisted.
The smell of violence clung to him like smoke.
Clearly, he had already killed today.
And killing again didn't bother him in the slightest.
Steel Boy rolled his neck lazily.
Then he raised his fist again.
The enormous hand, thicker than a steel beam, loomed over Toga's head like a falling meteor.
"Hmph."
"I don't believe you'll survive twice."
His lips curled into a cruel grin.
"This time you're definitely dead."
"Die, you filthy woman!"
His arm came crashing down.
BOOM—!
But the sound that followed… was wrong.
Steel Boy froze.
His fist had stopped.
Midair.
"…Huh?"
The impact he expected never came.
No bones shattering.
No blood spraying.
Instead—
Something had caught his punch.
Steel Boy's expression stiffened.
Slowly, he lowered his gaze.
Then his eyes widened slightly.
Standing in front of him was a blue-haired boy.
He looked around their age.
Compared to Steel Boy's massive body, the boy seemed almost small—thin, even.
Like a child standing in front of a moving tank.
Yet that "child" had casually raised one hand…
…and caught his fist.
Barehanded.
Steel Boy's punch weighed over a thousand kilograms.
Yet the boy held it easily.
As if he'd just stopped someone tossing him a baseball.
The visual contrast was absurd.
A slender teenager versus a steel giant.
But the giant's attack had been completely halted.
The blue-haired boy tilted his head slightly.
His crimson eyes swept lazily over the enormous villain in front of him.
Then he sighed.
"Seriously?"
"Trying to murder someone in broad daylight like this?"
His voice sounded relaxed.
Almost bored.
"And your target's a cute girl too."
He clicked his tongue.
"That's a little too much, don't you think?"
The newcomer was none other than—
Shigaraki Tomura.
A few minutes earlier, he had heard the noise from several streets away.
The sound of collapsing buildings.
Screams.
Violence.
So he came to take a look.
And the moment he arrived—
He saw Steel Boy raising his fist toward a blonde girl who looked strangely familiar.
The next second, Shigaraki had already moved.
Stopping the attack was almost instinct.
After all…
Watching a beautiful girl get her head smashed open right in front of him?
Yeah.
Even Shigaraki had standards.
Of course—
If the girl had been ugly…
He probably wouldn't have bothered.
What could he say?
He had always been a bit of a face enthusiast.
Shigaraki's gaze flicked briefly toward the girl behind him.
Blonde hair.
Sharp eyes.
Cute face.
Not bad.
Definitely worth saving.
His lips curved faintly.
Meanwhile—
Steel Boy finally snapped out of his shock.
The veins in his forehead bulged instantly.
"You bastard!"
His roar shook the street.
Without hesitation, he ripped his fist backward.
Then he swung again.
This time the punch came straight toward Shigaraki's face.
The wind pressure alone shattered nearby windows.
"DIE!!"
Rage burned in Steel Boy's eyes.
At this point he didn't care who this blue-haired brat was.
He had already killed several people today.
One more corpse wouldn't matter.
Anyone who stood in his way—
Would die.
His Quirk was called Steel Reinforcement.
It allowed him to turn any part of his body into steel.
Not only did it dramatically increase hardness—
It also boosted density and weight.
Which meant his punches carried terrifying destructive power.
Each swing was comparable to heavy construction machinery smashing through concrete.
That was why he had survived multiple encounters with Pro Heroes over the past two days.
In close combat—
He was practically unstoppable.
No one could match his raw power.
Unfortunately for him—
This time…
He had picked the wrong opponent.
Shigaraki didn't even dodge.
He simply raised his hand again.
His fingers closed.
Steel Boy's second punch stopped.
Once more.
Frozen in place.
The street fell silent.
Steel Boy's pupils shrank.
Impossible.
His full-strength punch…
Stopped again?
By a single hand?
Shigaraki looked at the steel fist calmly.
Then his lips slowly curled into a faint smile.
Inside his mind, a familiar mechanical voice quietly echoed.
[Apocalypse Analysis Complete.]
[Target Quirk Detected.]
[Steel Reinforcement.]
[Physical Enhancement Type.]
Interesting.
Shigaraki's eyes glinted.
He tilted his head slightly as he looked up at the towering villain.
Then he spoke casually.
"You know…"
"If you're going to pick a fight…"
"You should at least check who you're fighting first."
His fingers tightened slightly around the steel fist.
The sound of metal creaking echoed faintly through the air.
Steel Boy's face changed.
Because for the first time—
He felt pain.
Real pain.
Shigaraki's smile widened.
"…You've got decent strength."
"But unfortunately for you—"
"You picked the wrong person today."
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