"This is… Mt. Lady?"
When Death Arm saw Mt. Lady already transformed, he froze for a moment in shock.
This street had been built long ago and never renovated, leaving the roadway incredibly narrow. It was already a struggle just to fit two lanes of traffic. Now, with Mt. Lady's enormous size, the space had become an unbearable restriction—she was completely stuck, unable to move forward!
Once again, another Hero's abilities had been effectively neutralized.
It had to be said—the location Mud had chosen was perfect. The Heroes who could deal with him weren't strong enough, and those who were strong enough were blocked by the environment. The situation had spiraled into complete despair.
"Damn it!"
Death Arm slammed his fist into the ground, his knuckles glowing red. Was this it? Were they really going to give up like this? Just stand there and watch that boy sink into despair… and die?
"If that boy showed up right now…"
Even as frustration gnawed at him, Death Arm thought of Shina Etsuha—the one who had defeated him with overwhelming speed and precision. A miraculous young fighter with incredible strength. According to reports, Etsuha had even defeated Mud before. If he were here…
"No… impossible!" Death Arm immediately rejected the thought.
"Back then, Mud's power was average. Now it's grown far beyond that. Even if Etsuha came, he'd be completely restricted by these flames. He wouldn't stand a chance!"
The Quirk now controlling Katsuki Bakugo was terrifying in its own right—one of the most destructive abilities imaginable. If used properly, the explosions and flames alone could counter even Etsuha's ice.
If even professional Heroes couldn't do anything… then Etsuha had no hope either.
Most of the civilians had already evacuated, yet many lingered at a distance, unable to leave. Their eyes were fixed on Bakugo, trapped within the sludge, struggling desperately. His resistance stirred something deep in their hearts.
"Coward! If you've got any guts, let that kid go and fight the Heroes properly!"
"Picking on a child—what kind of villain does that?!"
"Where are the fire trucks? The flames are spreading! One Hero can't save all these houses!"
"Someone—please save that child!"
As the crowd shouted in outrage and desperation, a tall man pushed his way forward. Though tall, his body was gaunt and frail, his frame almost skeletal. His hollow, darkened eyes carried the weight of exhaustion.
Using his height, he forced his way through the crowd and caught sight of the situation. The moment he did, he was overcome with crushing guilt.
If he hadn't dropped that bottle of sludge midair… none of this would have happened.
"I'm to blame… I'm so sorry…"
The man was none other than All Might.
But at this moment, All Might had already exhausted his strength. Transforming again was nearly impossible. Even though he wanted to save Bakugo, he simply couldn't.
At first, he had pinned his hopes on the other Heroes. But after seeing the full situation, he understood just how dire things truly were. Mud combined with Bakugo's Quirk neutralized many Heroes at once. The terrain trapped Mt. Lady—the one who might have had the best chance to stop him. Everything had aligned against them.
"...I'm sorry," All Might whispered again.
Then suddenly—
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a small figure with green hair breaking away from the crowd without hesitation, sprinting straight toward the sludge!
It was Izuku Midoriya—running to save his friend.
"Kacchan!!"
Midoriya roared, fear evident in his voice—but he didn't stop. Clutching his school bag, he charged forward. In his mind, a strategy formed—something he had studied before, a way to deal with sludge-like opponents. Acting on instinct and prediction, he ducked low and dashed straight in!
"Midoriya, be careful!" All Might shouted in alarm. With Midoriya's frail body, a single hit could be fatal!
"LET HIM GO!!!"
Midoriya shouted as he lunged forward. Several sludge tendrils lashed out—
—but passed just over his head.
He had dodged them perfectly.
Even All Might couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.
But that was as far as it went.
Even though Midoriya had evaded the first strike with incredible instinct, he posed no real threat to the sludge. He clawed at it desperately with his bare hands, trying to pull Bakugo free—but just like before, it was useless. His hands passed through, grasping only formless liquid.
It had no effect.
"Damn… nerd…"
Seeing this, Bakugo's eyes flickered with a complicated emotion. Gathering the last of his strength, he forced out a strained voice:
"Run… away…"
"Ahh… what a touching scene," the sludge villain sneered, his voice filled with twisted delight. "But if I kill you right in front of everyone… won't that be even more moving?"
His tone dripped with excitement.
There was nothing more exhilarating than this.
No professional Heroes could stop him.
He could do whatever he wanted.