"Just as I thought!"
The moment he saw it, Shina Etsuha raised an eyebrow. At the same time, he condensed another ice sword in midair and thrust it forward with precision, slicing apart two of the hardened earth spikes launched from the sludge.
"That freezing… it really does feel familiar," the sludge muttered darkly as it recovered. "Is that all you've got? Doesn't seem like much."
After a brief pause, it added with a twisted grin, "After all, I prepared something special just for you—resistant cells."
"Resistant cells?" Shina Etsuha's expression sharpened slightly. "Something designed specifically to counter my freezing?"
The explanation clicked almost instantly in his mind.
It was simple—too simple.
The sludge's cellular structure had fundamentally changed. As long as it suffered a certain type of damage, it would rapidly develop resistance to that same form of attack. The reason it had broken free from the ice so quickly was obvious now—those cells had adapted, granting it resistance to freezing itself.
"The answer is correct!" Death Arm's body twisted grotesquely as it spoke. Every tendril hardened, becoming tougher than steel. Then, from above, they lashed down toward Etsuha all at once.
A massive icicle surged up in front of him—
—but the tentacles only paused for a fraction of a second before smashing straight through it and continuing their assault.
"It's useless!" Death Arm sneered. "The colder your ice gets, the more frost-resistant cells I produce. Your Quirk is completely countered. What can you do now?!"
With its confidence growing, the sludge's attacks became even more aggressive. Its tendrils whipped wildly through the surroundings, tearing into everything and sealing off Etsuha's escape routes. Even when they collided with ice, they showed no hesitation—crushing through with reckless force.
"Damn it… my branches need time to recover before I can use them again!" Kamui Woods muttered anxiously. This sludge Quirk was too bizarre. Even Etsuha's ice was being countered—could it have multiple Quirks? That made no sense!
But contrary to what everyone expected, Shina Etsuha showed no sign of panic.
If anything… he looked relaxed.
"So that's how it works," he said calmly. "I thought you'd gained some incredible new ability… but this is it?"
Behind him, the air began to grow even colder.
A transparent ice crystal appeared, hovering in place. Then it rapidly expanded—doubling, tripling—until it became an enormous, solid mass of ice.
A colossal ice sphere.
"What… is that?!" Death Arm's voice wavered for the first time.
Even at a glance, the sheer size of it was overwhelming. Roughly estimating, it had to weigh close to a hundred tons.
How could something like that be created out of thin air?!
"Your cells may resist freezing," Shina Etsuha said as he leapt backward, landing lightly atop the massive ice sphere. He looked down at the sludge from above. "But can they withstand pure force?"
The ground beneath them began to tremble.
Before anyone could react, a sloped pathway of ice formed beneath the sphere—angled downward like a massive slide.
BOOM!
The sphere shifted, and a thunderous roar echoed through the street. The vibration was so intense it felt like an earthquake. Nearby buildings shook violently, as if they might collapse at any moment.
"He can do this… with ice?!" All Might stared in disbelief. He had assumed Etsuha's ability was limited to freezing or immobilizing opponents. But this—this went far beyond that.
Not only could he freeze enemies—he could crush them with overwhelming mass.
And he controlled it all effortlessly.
"…What terrifying talent…" Kamui Woods muttered, his eyelids twitching.
A direct impact from something like that wouldn't just defeat the sludge—it would obliterate it.
No—forget the sludge. Even the surrounding buildings might not survive the impact.
"This thing… it's just for show, right?" Death Arm snarled, though uncertainty crept into his voice. Several tendrils lashed out, striking the ice sphere in an attempt to break it apart.
Sparks flew on impact.
The tendrils recoiled, damaged by the sheer hardness of the ice.
It was completely solid.
"You want to test its power?" Shina Etsuha stood balanced atop the rotating sphere as if it were nothing. No matter how it shifted beneath him, his footing remained perfectly steady.
His gaze locked onto Death Arm.
He noticed the sludge subtly tightening its hold on Katsuki Bakugo, as if preparing to use him as leverage.
Etsuha smiled faintly.
"You seem pretty confident in your cells. Then go ahead—try it."
"Stop!" Death Arm suddenly shouted. "Aren't you afraid that kid will die with me?! If you don't want him dead, then stop this right now!"
"Don't worry," Etsuha replied calmly. "I have complete control over my ice. I can crush you… without harming him."
With that—
The ice slope beneath his feet shifted.
BOOM!
The massive ice sphere began to roll.