"F-frozen…? He froze him?!"
Seeing the scene before them, the group of thugs finally realized what had just happened.
The boy they had dismissed as nothing more than a junior high student had frozen their companion in an instant.
"Hey," Etsuha said coldly, his gaze locking onto a man with a ridiculous, turkey-like hairstyle. "Who sent you here? And what's your objective?"
"S-stupid brat! Do you think having a strong Quirk is enough to take us on?! There are dozens of us!" the man barked, forcing bravado into his voice.
But it was obvious he was shaken.
This was the first time he had ever seen a kid with such a terrifying presence. Etsuha's eyes were like ancient ice—cold, unyielding, and utterly merciless. Just meeting his gaze felt like being dragged into a frozen abyss.
"Kill him! Now!" the man shouted from behind.
The remaining thugs gritted their teeth. A chaotic barrage of Quirks erupted all at once. Some even drew firearms, firing directly at Etsuha.
A storm of attacks surged toward him.
Boom!
The area where Etsuha stood was instantly swallowed by thick smoke and debris.
"Hah… no matter how strong he is, he's still just a kid. Too green…"
But as the smoke slowly cleared—
A massive wall of ice stood untouched, every single attack completely blocked.
"Y-you've got to be kidding…"
The man with the strange hairstyle instinctively took a step back. The sight in front of him felt less like facing a student… and more like confronting a monster.
"How is this even possible…?"
"No one's going to answer me?" Etsuha's voice cut through the silence, calm and icy.
This group was far too weak.
If this was supposed to be an operation by the League of Villains targeting him, it was almost laughable. These people couldn't even scratch him.
Which meant—
Their true objective was something else.
Etsuha pulled out his phone, only to find there was no signal. His frown deepened.
"Bring it out! Hurry up!" the man suddenly screamed.
Pshh!
A grotesque figure forced its way out of a swirling purple portal.
Etsuha's pupils shrank—but only for a moment.
When he got a clearer look, his expression relaxed slightly.
This wasn't like the Nomu used against All Might. This one was leaner, weaker in build—but still undeniably horrifying.
"Shina Etsuha… enjoy our hospitality," a distorted voice echoed as the portal closed.
Kurogiri's presence vanished.
"…That teleportation Quirk," Etsuha muttered. "Even rarer than a healing ability. U.A. doesn't even have something like that."
"GRAAAK!"
The Nomu opened its beak-like mouth, its body hunched forward. Wings unfurled from its back, giving it a grotesque, birdlike appearance.
"What… what is that thing?!" Yaoyorozu Momo gasped.
Gojima Ryōzō's legs trembled. The sheer pressure radiating from the creature made it difficult to even stand.
"Hahaha! This is our trump card!" the thug leader regained his confidence. "Take a good look—our strongest weapon!"
The winged Nomu flexed its muscles, then—
Boom!
The air exploded outward as it launched forward like a high-speed train.
"GRAAAK!"
It shot past Etsuha in a blur—
"…Not me?!"
Etsuha's eyes widened.
Its target wasn't him.
It was Yaoyorozu Momo.
An ice wall instantly rose in front of her—
CRASH!
The Nomu smashed straight through it, shattering the barrier with overwhelming force.
At the same moment—
Sharp ice spikes erupted from the ground, launching upward and impaling the creature mid-air!
Boom!
The spikes surged skyward, encasing the Nomu in a mass of ice.
"Ice Cavalry!"
Several ice constructs formed instantly atop the frozen structure, charging forward with full force.
CRACK—
Under the combined assault, the Nomu's body shattered into countless fragments.
An instant kill.
The laughter of the thug leader died in his throat.
Every single villain froze, their expressions locked in disbelief.
That monster—
The same creature they had believed to be unstoppable—
Had been destroyed in seconds.
By a single boy.
"…What the hell is he?"
No one dared to move.
They could only stare in horror at the shattered remains of the Nomu.
This wasn't a student.
This was something else entirely.
A demon.
But unlike them—
Etsuha wasn't relieved.
The moment he sensed the Nomu's true strength, a chill ran down his spine.
"…Mass-produced Nomu."
His gaze slowly lifted toward the hillside.
And then it hit him.
"…Why hasn't Yu Takeyama made her move yet?"