Before taking action, Akaya knew something very clearly.
If she wanted someone to deal with the Muscle Bloodfiend, then she first needed to understand him.
Completely.
His Quirk.
His habits.
His methods.
His weaknesses.
Everything.
Because charging in blindly against a monster like that was no different from suicide.
And that was the last thing she wanted.
So before anything else, she made a decision.
Gather information.
Analyze everything.
Then find a way to bring him down.
Because she didn't want to become someone who relied purely on brute force.
She wanted to become the kind of person her master once described.
Someone like Gotham's Batman.
A person who could defeat monsters through preparation, strategy, and precision even without possessing overwhelming power.
That was the ideal she was chasing.
And now, for the first time, she was trying to apply it herself.
The television continued playing in the background.
"According to current reports, the escaped villain fled custody during transport—"
Akaya listened carefully, but the deeper the report went, the darker her expression became.
Eventually, her face sank completely.
Because the truth behind the escape was far worse than she expected.
This wasn't a simple breakout.
The Muscle Bloodfiend hadn't escaped through strength or violence.
Someone had helped him escape from the outside.
And even worse, the prison staff hadn't discovered it until an entire day later.
A full twenty-four hours.
Not minutes.
Not a few hours.
An entire day.
Akaya stood there silently for a second.
Then—
Bang!
The remote control smashed against the floor.
She shot to her feet so quickly that the chair behind her toppled over with a loud crash.
But she didn't even glance at it.
Her chest rose and fell sharply.
Her fists trembled with anger.
"A whole day?!"
Her voice shook.
"What the hell were those guards doing?!"
Her eyes burned with fury.
"You let a monster like that walk out and nobody noticed for twenty-four hours?!"
"Are they brain-dead?!"
"Completely useless…"
Her breathing became uneven.
Because this wasn't just incompetence anymore.
It was negligence.
And negligence like this got people killed.
Just like before.
The Bloodfiend's escape meant innocent people would die again.
Heroes would die again.
Families would be destroyed again.
Even so, Akaya forced herself to calm down.
Anger alone solved nothing.
If anything, this only strengthened her resolve.
She kept listening carefully to the report.
Every detail mattered.
Because this time, she refused to stand by helplessly.
She would make sure that monster was captured again.
And next time, he would pay for everything.
Because she refused to let another child experience the same tragedy.
The news anchor continued speaking.
"Police and investigation-type Pro Heroes are currently cooperating to track the escaped villain…"
"Several promising leads have already been secured…"
"In preparation for the operation, a special countermeasure has been arranged…"
"We ask citizens to remain calm…"
Akaya frowned immediately.
A special countermeasure?
A trump card?
Something about that bothered her.
Why announce something like that publicly?
Best case scenario, it reassured civilians.
Worst case scenario, it provoked the villain and made him even more dangerous.
Unless…
they were truly confident.
Confident enough that this so-called trump card could absolutely handle him.
Akaya immediately began running through possibilities in her head.
A Pro Hero whose Quirk directly countered muscle enhancement?
A suppression weapon specifically designed for physical-strength Quirks?
Or perhaps another enhancement-type fighter powerful enough to overwhelm him head-on?
One possibility after another surfaced in her mind.
Yet none of them felt convincing.
None of them felt guaranteed.
Then the reporter spoke again.
"We assure the public that the villain will be apprehended within three days."
"The countermeasure has been specially prepared for this operation."
The confidence in the reporter's voice almost sounded absolute.
As if the outcome had already been decided.
But Akaya wasn't convinced at all.
Because today was already the third day.
And they still hadn't found him.
All they had were vague traces and uncertain leads.
That was nowhere near enough.
No matter how strong this supposed trump card was, if they couldn't locate the target, it meant nothing.
A weapon without a target was useless.
Strength without information was meaningless.
Akaya slowly exhaled.
Then her eyes sharpened again.
If the system failed…
then she would find someone outside the system.
Someone who didn't hesitate.
Someone capable of dealing with monsters directly.
There was only one person she trusted for that.
Her master.
Shigaraki.
He had resources.
Connections.
And most importantly, he acted without hesitation.
If anyone could track down the Bloodfiend quickly, it was him.
The thought settled firmly in her mind.
Without another second of hesitation, Akaya picked up her phone and dialed his number.
Because if the system couldn't stop the monster—
then she would rely on someone who could.
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