"Midoriya, boy!"
All Might was shaken to his core by the scene unfolding before him. In that moment, Izuku Midoriya—a boy clearly without a Quirk—looked more like a true Hero than anyone else present.
"It seems I underestimated your determination… but it doesn't matter, because I—cough, cough—!"
All Might tried to force himself to transform and rush in to save Midoriya, but the instant he attempted it, the injuries within his body tore open again. He spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Damn it!" he cursed inwardly.
The sludge villain had somehow grown far stronger over the past few days. That increase in power had pushed All Might—already at his absolute limit—beyond what his body could handle. Now, even if he tried to squeeze out the strength to transform, nothing happened.
"Hey, are you okay? Do you need an ambulance?" someone nearby asked with concern.
"I'm fine. Don't worry." All Might covered his mouth, a determined glint flashing in his eyes. Even with a body like this, he had to save those two boys.
Just then, a familiar figure pushed through the crowd behind him—and All Might recognized him instantly.
It was Shina Etsuha.
"Ah… that was close. I made it just in time." Shina Etsuha took in the scene—sludge binding Midoriya, flames raging—and let out a quiet breath. "Looks like it's my turn."
"Wait!" All Might almost thought he'd misheard. Did he just say it was his turn?
Was this some kind of joke? Wasn't he supposed to have a medical Quirk?
But Shina Etsuha didn't respond. He had already pushed through the crowd and charged straight toward the sludge.
At the same time, several Heroes noticed him.
"That's… Etsuha? Why is he here?!"
"Hey, wait—he's the second one charging in!"
"Stop him! His strength has already spiked once—he's completely different from before!"
Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods both recognized him, panic flashing across their faces. In a situation like this, chaos would only make things worse. But Mt. Lady was still trapped in the narrow street, unable to move, and Kamui Woods' branches were being burned away by the surrounding flames, his Quirk suppressed to the extreme. Neither of them could intervene.
"Oh? So the main act has arrived."
The sludge villain—Death Arm—looked at Shina Etsuha again, but instead of panicking, he sneered.
"This time is different. I've prepared specifically for you. Your power won't work on me anymore."
"Really?" Shina Etsuha rolled his wrist casually. "Let's test that."
A long sword of ice formed instantly in his hand.
Without another word, he dashed straight toward the sludge!
"Hahaha! Now that's different from those Heroes who just shout at me to let people go! Good—this way I can kill you slowly!"
Death Arm laughed wildly. The sludge around his body surged violently, hardening into countless sharp earthen spikes that shot toward Etsuha.
"Freeze."
Etsuha's expression didn't change in the slightest.
He had already sensed that the sludge had grown stronger, so of course he had prepared for it. In an instant, a wall of ice formed around his body—then expanded rapidly.
With a thunderous crack—
An enormous pillar of ice shot skyward!
A wave of freezing air spread outward in all directions. Even the water jet from a nearby fire-fighting Hero froze solid mid-stream. The burning buildings around them were instantly encased in ice.
Every flame was extinguished in a heartbeat.
"H—how…?"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
To freeze the entire area in an instant—just how terrifying was this Quirk?
And the one wielding it… was just a teenager.
"This boy…!" All Might's pupils shrank sharply. Even he could feel the cold seeping into his bones. He couldn't imagine what would happen if someone were directly exposed to that temperature.
More importantly—this was the same boy who had claimed to have a medical Quirk?
And now he was wielding overwhelming ice powers?
"Etsuha…" Midoriya stared up at the ice shield that had formed above him, swallowing hard. If it had appeared even a second later, he would have been pierced by those spikes.
Above the shield, half of the sludge had already been frozen solid.
"Fall back," Shina Etsuha said calmly, eyes fixed on the frozen mass. "I'll handle this. Don't worry about Bakugo—he'll be fine for now."
Though the sludge appeared completely immobilized, Etsuha remained cautious, clearly on guard for something more.
Midoriya didn't hesitate. He quickly retreated.
At that exact moment—
Crack.
The ice encasing the sludge suddenly shattered.
..
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