Rumble!
Bakugo Katsuki's quirk spiraled out of control, and the explosions it triggered quickly drew the attention of nearby Pro Heroes. The first to arrive was Fire Buster. The moment he saw the writhing sludge at the center of the chaos, his scalp tingled with dread.
"What the hell is that monster…? Damn it, my quirk isn't suited for combat like this—I can only deal with the fires!"
With just one glance, he knew this was far beyond his ability to handle.
Ssshhh—!
Fire Buster sprayed large volumes of water from both hands, trying to suppress the spreading flames. At the same time, he activated his communicator:
"This is Fire Buster! The Villain 'Sludge' has been sighted! A teenager has been taken hostage! Requesting immediate backup! There's an active fire and casualties—dispatch ambulances and fire engines as well!"
"Received! Fire engines are en route!"
"Ambulances have been dispatched!"
"This is Kamui Woods—I'm on my way. Arrival imminent!"
"This is Death Red Fist—I'm nearby. Hold on!"
Emergency response was swift. Calls overlapped, Heroes coordinated, and within moments, reinforcements began to converge.
The next to arrive—
Death Red Fist.
"Why does this thing feel stronger than before…?"
The moment he laid eyes on the grotesque sludge, his heart skipped a beat. His instincts screamed at him—this wasn't the same opponent as before. It was far more dangerous.
"Oh? Planning to save this cute little boy, Hero?"
The Sludge Villain sneered, sensing Death Red Fist's intent. "Go ahead. Try it—with your pathetic strength."
Crunch—
The sludge tightened its grip again.
Bakugo Katsuki's body creaked under the pressure, as if every bone in his body was about to shatter.
"Ghh—!!"
His eyes were bloodshot, sweat pouring down his face as he struggled desperately. Under this life-or-death pressure, his quirk surged to its limit—
BOOM!!
A violent explosion erupted from within the sludge, sending flames roaring outward. The surrounding fires intensified instantly.
But the sludge… remained completely unfazed.
At this point, it had already forced its way into Bakugo's mouth. Their bodies overlapped grotesquely—the lower half of Bakugo's face had become sludge itself. When the Villain spoke, it was as if Bakugo was speaking to himself:
"Ah… what a delightful quirk. Such explosive power—I'll make very good use of it."
It turned its gaze toward the approaching Hero.
"So, Hero… are you still going to try and save him?"
"Let him go, or I'll use force!"
Death Red Fist's eyes were filled with caution. This was the first time he had faced an opponent like this. Compared to the muscular berserker he had fought before, the pressure from this creature was on an entirely different level.
It felt like facing a wild beast.
"How boring," the sludge muttered. "I'll let you in on a little secret—his life is being devoured as we speak. In just a few minutes, he'll be nothing more than a corpse."
"And it'll all be because of your hesitation."
"But don't worry—you won't feel guilty. After all, you'll still be alive. That's worth it, isn't it?"
"LET HIM GO!!"
With a furious roar, Death Red Fist gathered all his strength and charged forward!
BOOM!
His punch struck dead center—
But the sensation was wrong.
It felt soft. Yielding. Like punching into thick cotton.
He looked up in shock, only to see his fist being swallowed—dissolved—by the viscous sludge.
Not only had his attack failed, he was being consumed instead!
"This thing's quirk completely counters mine!"
He realized it instantly—but it was already too late.
A tentacle formed from the sludge in an instant and lashed out—
WHAM!
The air screamed as it split, compressed by the force of the strike. Death Red Fist barely had time to cross his arms in defense—
Then came the pain.
It was as if the sludge had hardened into steel mid-swing. The impact nearly shattered his bones.
"Hahaha! What a pathetic expression, Hero! You can't save him at all!"
The Sludge Villain laughed mockingly and raised another tendril to strike again.
"Not so fast!"
Suddenly, a vine-like tendril shot down from above, wrapping tightly around Death Red Fist. With a powerful pull, he was yanked backward and landed beside a brown-clad Hero.
It was Kamui Woods!
"Kamui!" Death Red Fist exhaled in relief. "That kid is still being controlled—he's about to die! We need to save him now!"
But to his surprise, Kamui Woods shook his head grimly.
"No… I can't. The surrounding flames are too intense—they completely restrict my movements. And that Villain's quirk… it's a perfect counter to mine."
Even Kamui Woods… couldn't do anything.
A heavy despair settled in Death Red Fist's chest.
And just then—
Another Hero arrived on the scene!