"Is this… sludge?"
The moment Shina Etsuha saw the green, writhing mass, he immediately understood what he was dealing with.
"I only came here to try my luck," the sludge villain said, its body swelling into a massive mound of viscous liquid that piled up in front of him. "I didn't expect I'd actually get lucky. After fighting someone like that, your stamina must be completely drained. In that case… let me devour you!"
"Go ahead and try," Etsuha replied with a faint smile.
It was true—his stamina was running low. But not to the point where he couldn't fight. At worst, he could no longer create massive ice structures. Close combat, however, was still well within his ability.
"This kid doesn't have any strength left…" the sludge villain hesitated briefly. But after looking at Etsuha again, it made up its mind.
How could a middle schooler possibly endure that kind of battle and still have anything left?
As long as it swallowed him, the rewards would be unimaginable.
"Die!"
Its body exploded outward into a spray of sticky liquid, lunging toward Etsuha from all directions.
Etsuha didn't try to take the attack head-on. He stepped back instantly, gripping the air—and a translucent blade of ice formed in his hand.
"Hahaha! Your stamina really is gone!" the sludge villain laughed, overjoyed. It had seen Etsuha summon towering ice before. Now he was resorting to a sword instead—clearly, he was exhausted.
The opportunity couldn't be better.
"It may be low," Etsuha said calmly, raising the blade, "but it's more than enough to deal with you."
A strange, focused clarity settled over him.
"Beyond her overwhelming ice… Esdeath's swordsmanship was forged through life-and-death battles."
The sludge crashed down from above, countless tendrils of slime striking toward him at once.
Etsuha moved.
His blade flashed forward, slicing cleanly through the liquid. Each strike split the sludge apart in an instant.
Swish—!
The ice sword danced like a spinning storm, weaving through the air with precision and elegance. At that moment, Etsuha's swordsmanship reached its peak. The slender crystal blade became an invisible barrier, intercepting every attack.
No matter how the sludge surged toward him, it couldn't touch him—not even a drop.
Behind him—
Bang!
The sludge was suddenly severed into dozens of pieces.
"What speed…!"
The sludge villain's voice trembled.
What kind of swordsmanship was this? It could clearly feel the killing intent in every strike—each cut aimed precisely, as if targeting a vital point.
But what did it matter?
"You really think cutting me can hurt me?" it sneered. "This level of attack won't do anything! Watch closely—my body will reassemble instantly—"
"Are you talking about the parts that have already been frozen?" Etsuha interrupted calmly.
"…What?"
The sludge turned—and froze in shock.
The fragments that had been cut apart were now coated in a thick layer of frost. Entire sections of its body had been immobilized, completely cut off from its control.
"When did this happen…?" it muttered, stunned.
The remaining unfrozen sludge surged together, reforming into a humanoid shape roughly Etsuha's height.
"My body!" it screamed.
Nearly a third of its mass was gone.
Its quirk allowed it to disperse like liquid, compressing its entire body into containers as small as soda bottles. But now, those frozen pieces were unresponsive—completely beyond its control.
"Damn it!"
Realizing the danger, it abandoned all thoughts of attacking. Its body burst apart with a wet splatter and rushed toward the sewer like flowing water.
"Trying to run?"
Etsuha moved to pursue—but stopped.
His stamina wouldn't allow him to use large-scale freezing techniques, and the sludge's speed was too fast. In the end, he could only watch it disappear into the drains.
"…Not in the best condition today," he muttered.
Still, his gaze shifted to the side.
A large portion of the sludge remained behind—completely frozen solid.
"But at least I got something out of it," Etsuha said quietly. "And it looks pretty useful."