[Location: Jaku General Hospital – Restricted Underground Wing][Time: 02:00 AM]
The air smelled of formaldehyde and ozone.
In the flickering darkness of the lab, green fluid bubbled inside massive glass tubes. Inside them, twisted shapes of flesh and bone floated in suspended animation—the failed experiments of a mad genius.
Dr. Kyudai Garaki, the man behind the Nomu, sat hunched over a bank of monitors. His goggles reflected the rapid stream of data cascading down the screens.
"Fascinating..." he wheezed, his fingers dancing across the keyboard. "Truly fascinating."
On the main screen, a replay was looping.
It was the footage recorded by the "Carter" creature's eyes before its destruction.
A skeletal chain wreathed in white fire.A teleportation so fast it registered as instantaneous displacement.An uppercut that defied physics.
"Doctor," a raspy voice echoed from the speakers. It was Shigaraki Tomura, calling in from a secure line. "Did the prototype get the job done?"
"No," Garaki chuckled, a dry, rattling sound. "The prototype was obliterated. Vaporized. But... it succeeded in its primary mission."
Garaki pressed a key. The video froze on a frame of Reiji's face, contorted in exertion, just as the white fire erupted.
[Data Packet: Decrypted.][Subject: Reiji Kurobane.]
"We didn't send the creature to kill him, Shigaraki," Garaki explained, swiveling his chair. "We sent it to measure him."
Garaki pulled up a series of graphs. They showed energy spikes, heart rate, and muscle contractions.
"Look at this pattern," Garaki traced a jagged line on the screen. "His power isn't a continuous flow like All Might's or Endeavor's. It works in... bursts. Specific sequences."
He zoomed in.
"Fire. Ice. Shadow. Lightning. He switches between them instantly, but there is a micro-delay. A split-second lag where his body has to 'load' the next ability."
Shigaraki remained silent for a moment. "So? He's fast enough that it doesn't matter."
"It matters if we interrupt the sequence," Garaki grinned, revealing yellowed teeth. "He fights like a program executing a script. If you break the script... the program crashes."
Beep. Beep.
Another window popped up.
[Post-Combat Analysis: Subject Status.][Estimated Physical Toll: Extreme.]
"And there is one more thing," Garaki tapped the screen. "That final move? The white fire? It nearly cooked him from the inside out. My data suggests his body enters a 'cooldown' state after such a massive output."
Garaki's eyes gleamed with malice.
"He is vulnerable, Shigaraki. Right now. He is likely powerless."
"Then I'll go dust him myself," Shigaraki growled.
"No, no," Garaki waved a hand dismissively. "You have your own evolution to worry about. Besides, sending a General to kill a wounded soldier is wasteful. We need to test the new toy."
Garaki pressed a red button on his console.
HISS.
At the far end of the lab, a heavy blast door hissed open. Cold mist rolled out across the floor.
From the shadows, a figure stepped forward.
It wasn't bulky like the USJ Nomu. It was lean, almost skeletal. Its skin was a dark, matte grey, designed to blend into the night. It had no eyes—only massive, bat-like ears and a mouth stitched shut.
Its arms were elongated, ending in fingers that looked like surgical scalpels.
[Project Name: SILENCE][Quirk: Sound Nullification & Nerve Shock]
"A High-End prototype," Garaki whispered lovingly. "Designed not for destruction, but for assassination. It makes no sound. It detects heartbeats from a mile away. And its touch disrupts neural pathways."
The creature twitched, its head snapping toward the screen showing Reiji's face.
"Disrupt his combos," Garaki commanded. "Prevent him from casting. And bring me his head."
The creature didn't roar. It didn't scream.
It simply vanished into the shadows, moving so fast that not even the dust on the floor was disturbed.
[Location: U.A. High School – Heights Alliance Dorms][Time: 02:45 AM]
Reiji lay awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling.
His body ached. The penalty was still active.
[Time Remaining: 44 Hours.]
He turned over, trying to find a comfortable position. The dorm was quiet. Everyone was asleep.
Thump.
Reiji froze.
It was a soft sound. Barely audible. Like a leaf hitting the ground.
But it came from the balcony.
'I'm on the fourth floor,' Reiji thought, his pulse quickening. 'Leaves don't land that heavily.'
He slowly sat up, his eyes locked on the glass door leading to his balcony. The curtains were drawn, but he could see a shadow.
A silhouette. Standing perfectly still.
Reiji reached for his mind, trying to summon a weapon.
[System Warning: Spirit Too Low.][Skill Failed: Ice Sword.]
"Damn it," he cursed silently.
He grabbed the combat knife he kept under his pillow—a non-system weapon he had bought just in case.
He crept toward the door.
CREAK.
The glass door slid open.
The curtain billowed.
Reiji lunged, knife ready.
But there was no one there.
"What...?"
SLASH.
Pain exploded in his shoulder.
Reiji gasped, spinning around.
Standing in the middle of his room, having moved past him faster than his eyes could track, was the grey creature.
It had no eyes. It made no sound.
Reiji tried to shout, to wake the others.
"Ba—!"
The creature raised a finger to its stitched lips.
ZZZZT.
A wave of invisible energy hit Reiji's throat. His vocal cords paralyzed instantly. No sound came out.
[Status Effect: Silenced.]
The creature tilted its head. It raised its scalpel-fingers, poised to strike.
Reiji gripped the knife, his heart hammering against his ribs. He had no quirks. No backup. No voice.
Just a knife, and 15% of his strength.
'Round Two,' Reiji thought, gritting his teeth. 'FIGHT.'
End of Chapter 104.
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