At the beginning of the footage, the scene matched reality exactly—Shina Etsuha was walking beneath the overpass. Not long after, the sludge villain quietly emerged from a manhole cover, as if observing something.
Seeing this, Kurogiri couldn't help but glance at the sludge villain, though he said nothing.
In the next instant, a figure suddenly flashed in from the distance—so fast that the surveillance footage blurred. In the blink of an eye, it crossed more than ten meters and appeared directly behind Etsuha.
"So they really did meet."
Everyone's expressions sharpened as they watched. As for All For One, no one could tell what he was thinking.
Nomu moved with terrifying speed. Without any unnecessary motion, it raised its fist and struck forward while charging. The shriek of the air alone was enough to demonstrate the sheer power of the blow. Even Kurogiri felt a faint chill run down his spine.
If it had been him, he wouldn't have been able to react at all.
"If that hit lands, he'd be crippled—or dead," Shigaraki Tomura thought with a cold grin.
At that exact moment, Etsuha sensed the attack. He had already turned his head—but it was too late. Nomu's fist was right in front of him, about to crush him!
Boom!
An ice wall erupted almost simultaneously, intercepting Nomu's punch. At the same time, Etsuha's body shot backward like a streak of light, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.
"What kind of reaction speed is that?!"
Kurogiri shouted in disbelief.
How was that even possible?
He had evaded that attack without any prior warning!
"This guy…" Shigaraki Tomura's pupils contracted slightly. "Even so…"
"Play it again. Slow it down." All For One's voice echoed calmly—but there was a faint trace of excitement hidden within it.
Kurogiri immediately complied. The footage rewound and began playing in slow motion. Even then, Nomu's movements remained frighteningly fast—like a hurricane appearing behind Etsuha, twisting its torso as it drove its fist forward.
Click—
At that precise moment, the air behind Etsuha began to crystallize into frost. Even slowed down hundreds of times, it was clearly visible: the frost rapidly forming a thick ice wall at a speed the naked eye could follow. By the time Nomu's fist connected, the wall had fully formed, absorbing most of the impact.
Boom!
The ice wall shattered, sending fragments flying. Etsuha and Nomu were now several meters apart—but faced with such an overwhelming opponent, Etsuha didn't flee.
He attacked.
His body recoiled like a spring. With a flick of his wrist, a long ice blade appeared in his hand. In a fluid motion, he lunged forward and struck Nomu with precise accuracy.
It had no effect.
There wasn't even a scratch.
Seeing this, a subtle sense of relief passed through the observers. It seemed the boy, despite his talent, had yet to reach that level.
"With this level of power, there's no way he survives against Nomu," All For One said calmly.
But in the next moment, Etsuha moved again.
A blizzard-like surge of freezing power erupted outward, encasing Nomu in solid ice. At the same time, Etsuha slammed his hands down—
From the ground, a large number of ice cavalry burst forth, charging directly into the frozen mass.
Bang!
The ice surrounding Nomu shattered once again. Through the camera, countless cracks spread across its body, as if it were about to collapse entirely. Yet in the next instant, its terrifying regenerative ability activated—those fractures sealed themselves rapidly, leaving no trace behind.
Nomu let out another roar.
Seeing this, All For One spoke flatly:
"It's over."
No one could withstand a full-force assault from Nomu.
And yet—
At that very moment, Etsuha's hands emitted a strange, radiant glow. The image flickered—
And he vanished.
In the next frame, Nomu—who had just been roaring—now stood frozen in place, an ice spear embedded straight through its brain.
"How is that possible?!"
Kurogiri and Shigaraki Tomura spoke at the same time, their voices filled with shock.
The footage looked as though it had skipped frames. One moment, Etsuha was there. The next, he was gone—and Nomu's head had already been pierced.
What happened in between?
"Was part of the recording lost?!"
Kurogiri hurriedly checked the file, even loading a backup to replay it.
But every time, the result was the same.
No transition. No warning.
Just a sudden, impossible outcome.
"It's that strike…"
Inside, the sludge villain was roaring.
No one understood what had happened better than he did.
For a brief instant, it felt as though time itself had been erased.
And when everything resumed—
Nomu was already motionless.
And Shina Etsuha… had completely disappeared.