"What happened? Didn't Nomu clash with him? How could things end up like this?!"
Shigaraki Tomura grew visibly irritated. The scattered shards of ice around Nomu made him uneasy, and his fingers began scratching at his neck again and again.
"…This is that guy's quirk…"
Kurogiri lowered his gaze to the ice covering the ground and cautiously reached out with his mist-like hand.
This ice was different. It carried a distinct, unnatural presence. Instinctively, Kurogiri understood—this was the essence of Shina Etsuha's power.
The moment his hand touched the ice, an overwhelming chill surged up his arm. He gasped and flung the fragment away. When he looked again, a large portion of his misty arm had already crystallized into frost!
"What terrifying ice…"
His voice trembled with shock. This was only residual ice—yet it carried such destructive cold. The instant he made contact, it felt as if his arm might freeze solid. After he dropped it, the surrounding air felt like burning metal by comparison, causing the frozen mist to rapidly dissipate.
He was certain—if an ordinary person had touched it, their arm would have suffered severe frostbite instantly, like plunging a limb into liquid nitrogen at -196°C and then exposing it to room temperature.
No… this was even worse.
"If it weren't for my quirk…" Kurogiri muttered, "…my arm might have frozen off entirely."
"There must have been a fight here," he continued, scanning the scene. "Nomu definitely engaged him. But where's the body? No… there's barely any blood."
The evidence was clear—Nomu had fought Shina Etsuha. Yet the lack of blood made no sense.
There was no way Etsuha could have escaped unscathed… right?
With Nomu's strength, he should have been torn apart instantly.
Unless…
"…something went wrong with Nomu."
Kurogiri's expression darkened. That possibility was far more dangerous. This Nomu had been prepared specifically to kill All Might. If something had gone wrong here, it could jeopardize everything.
Meanwhile, Shigaraki muttered restlessly, pacing in place.
"Game over… a guy who can't even handle a pro hero—how's he supposed to fight the final boss? What went wrong…?"
"Calm down," Kurogiri said. "Don't forget—we have surveillance."
"Surveillance… right!" Shigaraki's eyes snapped open. "Pull up the footage! I want to see exactly what happened!"
"It will take a little time…" Kurogiri replied.
"Hurry up!"
"Haah… haah…"
Not far away, beneath the shadow of an overpass, Shina Etsuha leaned against a concrete pillar, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"That was close…"
If he hadn't reacted instantly, that first strike alone would have crushed him.
The sudden appearance of Nomu had caught him completely off guard. If not for the enhanced physical abilities granted by the genetic enhancement potion, he might not have even had the strength left to move after using Moke Bo Temo.
He glanced down at his abdomen and grimaced.
Even without taking a direct hit, the shockwave from Nomu's punch had still inflicted damage. The wound was proof enough.
But something incredible was happening.
He didn't even need to consciously activate his healing ability. The modified cells in his body were already working, radiating energy on their own. The torn flesh regenerated before his eyes, restoring itself at a speed that felt almost unreal.
"…No wonder healing-type quirks are so valuable."
Etsuha let out a quiet breath. Choosing that potion had been the right decision.
Still…
"I was too careless."
His gaze sharpened.
"I only just defeated the muscular villain, and I'm already being targeted by the League of Villains… And for some reason, they forced me to reveal my trump card this early."
There was no such thing as enemies lining up one by one to hand over experience.
This was reality.
"I need to get stronger—and fast."
Just then—
"Ah… so you're here."
A voice echoed from behind him.
Etsuha turned sharply.
From a nearby sewer, a mass of green sludge surged upward, writhing as it took shape.
The sludge villain had found him.