Stain was seething — not only had a pack of bratty wannabes tried to gang up on him, but now there was this foul-mouthed pest, taunting him without pause.
Stain: "I'll kill you all! You frauds who only chase fame and fortune! The only true hero… is All Might!"
Kazuma chuckled low, his eyes gleaming like a predator that had just found a new toy.
Ryojin: "Wow… hardcore All Might fanboy. Hey, Midoriya — isn't this the same guy from that All Might handshake event you told me about?"
Midoriya: "Kazuma-kun! Please, take this seriously!!!"
The gentle boy crumpled to the ground, crying cartoonishly until he almost rolled over, while Ryojin burst into loud, unrestrained laughter — as if this whole thing was just another pointless game he played every day.
But in the middle of that laughter, a blade came whistling toward him — Ryojin tilted his head to the side, dodging effortlessly. His body moved with the instinct of someone trained in blood-stained, dust-choked back alleys countless times over.
He raised his gun, a cold smirk tugging at his lips.
Ryojin: "Time for the hero to save the kids."
The first burst of bullets screamed toward Stain, gunfire echoing through the narrow alley. But Stain moved like a phantom, dodging with inhuman speed — faster even than Ryojin, who had trained his body past human limits.
What was truly terrifying, though, was Stain's killing instinct — the kind that could put three top students flat on the ground before they could even react.
Ryojin: "Tch… looks like I'll have to get serious."
His voice turned to ice as he reached into empty air — and a blade emerged from the void. Liu South Section 3.
Steel clashed against steel, the sound ringing through the alley.
Stain: "Not bad… for a fake hero."
Ryojin's grin twisted wider, his face warped in malicious delight.
Ryojin: "Has anyone ever told you… your breath smells like absolute shit? Like a dead rat in the sun. Honestly, I'm shocked anyone ever talks to you."
His words cut deeper than any blade — and they landed. The vein in Stain's temple throbbed as rage surged to its peak.
The fight between them was about to become a hell of steel and blood… and anyone standing between them would never breathe again.
Cut to the city—chaos reigns.It's not just the Nomus anymore. A strange group dressed in bizarre outfits is clashing with both heroes and Nomus. They call themselves the New Nera. Even Endeavor is stretched thin, forced to battle both sides attacking indiscriminately.
Explosions echo like the sky itself is swearing an oath.Countless Nomus charge through smoke and dust like running corpses—dumb, weak, yet endless.The blood in their mouths is still warm.
Opposite them stand strange men and women wearing masks marked with a flame crest, wielding swords, guns, and whatever weapons their twisted imaginations have birthed.The New Nera—they dance as they kill, laugh as they're shot.Death is their ritual. Pain is their hymn.
Endeavor—the man who thought fire could cleanse all things—now realizes his flames can chase away only a few fleeting shadows in the vast, overwhelming dark.
"Damn it… what the hell are these things…" he curses, smashing flames into his eighteenth Nomu.They burn, yet scream like newborns.
The cries for help from a sidekick hero pierce the noise:
"Help me! Hel—!"The voice cuts off as a Nomu's claws slice their throat.
Endeavor turns, but too late.BANG!
A bullet shatters the Nomu's skull, its body collapsing instantly, head bursting like a rotten melon.A shadow emerges from the smoke—not a hero, but a formation marching in dreadful unison, like a nightmare battalion made flesh.
This force is The Thumb.Not police. Not soldiers.They are those who believe in their leader's orders above all else.Guns, swords, spears, axes, scythes—they wield weapons the way artists hold brushes.
And among them walks a woman clad in blood-red armor.She laughs low and hoarse, even as corpses are still mid-fall.
She is Baek-Ji—the vanguard commander.The one who laughs on the battlefield.The one who paints war with bone and fire.The one who stains herself with blood without breaking a sweat.
"Ah… this brush is exquisite…" she murmurs, plunging a short blade through a Nomu's chest, then flinging its head into the ground."But the canvas… still too white."
She turns to face Endeavor—and Endeavor… isn't sure which side he should fear more.
While the League of Villains has yet to reveal itself fully,and the New Nera encircles from the east,the gunfire, spent shells, and fluttering banners of The Thumb arrive to greet this hell in earnest.
This isn't a battle.This is a hunt.And Hosu… is just a hunting ground with the wrong name.
They don't wear armor for honor—they wear it so the blood won't seep into their skin.
"THE THUMB!!! CHARGE!!!"
The roar of the underground army thundered like a war god risen from the grave.A force that should not exist in the world of heroes.Black-and-red uniforms, dust-stained masks and cloaks.Their weapons were not forged in factories, but claimed from the dead, taken by killing and looting.They were not heroes.They were not villains.They were The Thumb—the shadow of war, moving only by the will of a single leader.
When that cry echoed across Hosu City, every head turned.The heroes froze—believing this was yet another nightmare made flesh.But there were no bullets fired at them.Not one shot aimed their way.Instead, the hail of gunfire struck the Nomus and the Nera forces.
Across the field—the League of Villains and the New Nera—stumbled in shock.They had not planned for an enemy without banners or pacts to appear.They knew only one truth:The Thumb belonged to no one.
"Spread out! Kill them all!!"A voice cut through the chaos.It was not a hero's voice.Not the police.It belonged to a towering commander clad in crimson armor.She did not shout to be heard—she shouted because war demanded it.
Baek-Ji walked through the flames.Blood streamed down her face.She laughed softly.And said:"Well then… let's raise the curtain."
Gunfire. Explosions. Screams.The wet chop of steel through flesh.The slicing hook of a scythe around a head.Pleas for mercy.The faint, distant cry of a lost child in the rubble.Every sound wove together into a symphony of madness.
The heroes were stunned.A man, drenched in blood, was carried out by members of The Thumb—his wounds quickly bandaged.Elsewhere, a police officer shot in the leg was being escorted to safety by a masked, cloaked man.There was no explanation from the government. No news outlet could report in time.The Thumb was saving lives—with the very same hands that had taken them moments before.
"Why are they helping us…?" a female hero whispered.The officer beside her replied quietly,"Because they hate the villains even more than we do…"
An order from above was broadcast:
"Do not engage The Thumb—cooperate if necessary.""Targets are Nera and the League of Villains only."
Through the smoke and fire,The Thumb moved like wolves granted the right to hunt.Their weapons were wielded like instruments of art.Killing was their duty—and their finest declaration of presence.
On the main street, the corpses of Nera members hung from ropes,each bearing a sign, hand-painted with grim precision:
There is no god to protect your kind.
Cut to Ryujin's side.
Kazuma: "Damn it—he's fast!"
Ryujin now faced Stain's assault alone.He dodged and deflected each blade that came for him with precision.Luck was still on his side—no wounds yet, though every strike came within a hair's breadth of disaster.
Midoriya had already explained Stain's power—if even a drop of his blood touched you, your body would freeze as if you were a puppet.By now, Todoroki had regained movement, ice spreading across the ground to create the opening Ryujin needed.
Kazuma swung his knife to intercept Stain's slash before shouting:
Ryujin: "Midoriya! Can you move yet?!"
His voice cracked against the tense air, each word punctuated by the clash of steel, leaving no room to breathe.
Midoriya: "Kazuma-kun! I can move now!"
The spiky-haired boy gritted his teeth, pushing himself back to his feet, determination burning on his face.
Ryujin: "Good… what about you, Iida? We need to take this bastard down—now!"
Iida stood frozen, his body trembling, before shouting through tears:
Iida: "Why…? This has nothing to do with you—why get involved?!"
His voice carried raw pain—guilt, vengeance, weakness—all tangled into one.
Kazuma (growling): "Shut your damn mouth… and get up, you idiot!!!"
The roar was so sharp that even Stain's movements halted for a brief moment, curiosity flashing in his eyes.
Ryujin: "Why the hell should I have to listen to your pathetic sob story?! Get up and help! This isn't the time to wallow! If you really want to fix your mistakes, then get on your feet and fight!!"
Iida froze—Kazuma's words cut deep. Too deep to ignore.
Ryujin locked eyes with Stain, his voice dripping with mockery:
Ryujin: "Stain… you want a world with only 'true heroes,' is that it?"
He pointed his blade at the killer, continuing with cold fury.
Kazuma: "Sounds like a load of crap to me. A hero shouldn't get paid? Can't have a family? Has to die for nothing? You think they're robots born only to save people? They're human—they've got parents, children, families! And you took all that away… for your stupid ideals!"
Ryujin's voice shook—not from fear, but from rage.
Ryujin: "You kill them—do you even feel anything?! Or are you just a lunatic addicted to blood and killing?! And this four-eyed kid here—he's just your next victim, isn't he?! You're nothing but a damn animal!"
He spun toward Iida again, shouting:
Ryujin: "And you, Iida!! What's your meaning of 'hero'?! To be like your brother—or rot in a cell your whole life because of some pathetic grudge?!"
Silence.The words hit like a fist straight to the face.
Ryujin: "If you still want to atone… then get up!!"
In that instant, Stain lunged, blade swinging down toward Ryujin's head with deadly accuracy.Ryujin couldn't dodge in time—
—but Iida shot forward with such speed that even Ryujin's eyes widened in shock.
[System Notification]
Character "Tenya Iida" has reached Evolution Stage 1.Permanent Speed Boost + New Skill Acquired:Recipro Assault!!
An intense aura burst out from Iida's body like a machine finally unlocked.Both his legs roared with a thunderous rhythm, like jet engines primed to tear the battlefield apart.
Iida: Kazuma-kun… thank you. Now I understand.Iida: This… is my path!!
Iida:Recipro Assault!!!
He launched himself at Stain with a speed so violent it blasted the ground beneath him.Before Stain could even react, Iida's foot smashed into his gut with crushing force, followed by a relentless barrage of stomps before kicking him upward.
Not giving Stain a single heartbeat to recover, Iida's body moved on its own—charging like a rabid hound unleashed.Fists, feet, and knees tore into Stain in a storm of strikes, the sound of flesh and bone colliding echoing over the prey's ragged breaths.
Then, Todoroki unleashed his own attack—flames laced with freezing cold, crashing down from above onto Stain's battered body, searing and freezing him all at once.His intent was not just to fight… but to crush.
Before the carnage ended, Midoriya soared into the air, eyes blazing with compressed power.
Midoriya:"Manchester Smash!!!!"
His fist slammed directly into Stain's skull—hard enough to fracture bone.The impact thundered like breaking stone, hurling Stain into the ground with such force it nearly buried him alive.
Midoriya landed in an oddly awkward pose, his muscles twitching as if guided by some formless entity… but in its own way, it was still cool.
As the dust began to clear, the others rushed forward, binding Stain and stripping him of every weapon.
Then he—Ryujin—grabbed the limp villain by one hand and dragged him across the rubble like a rotting corpse, unconcerned if he was still breathing or if his bones shattered further.
Before long, the teammates who had been paralyzed by Stain's poison began to move again.They waited there, surrounded by the stench of blood and smoke, for the heroes to arrive… but the truth was, it would be a while before any of them showed up.
This mission…It felt easier than the last ones.
Or maybe—He was simply growing used to killing.
He received an Athena's Blessing Tome.Without a moment's hesitation, he used it.
He applied it to his clone—And this is what happened…
[You have used the "Athena's Blessing" book on Quirk: Cloning]
[System Notification]All clones have evolved to a new tier.
Newly created clones will now instantly receive 3 passive skills, randomly drawn from the System's skill pool.(These may be combat, support, or utility-oriented depending on the clone's base stats.)
In addition, each clone will gain 2 more random passives unique to itself.
Every clone now has its own mind — no longer influenced by the original's personality.They can think, decide, and express emotions like real humans, but will always obey the Player's commands.
He read it to the end… and let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Guess I'll call that a profit…"
Originally, he'd planned to buy some badass Quirk — something like fire-breathing or one of those ridiculously cool powers from the manga he read as a kid.The kind of main-character superpower you'd see in Dragon Ball, One Piece, or those god-tier shounen battles.
But when he opened the store, the reality hit him:
No Goku.No Luffy.No Chakra.No Stand.No Devil Fruit.Not even Nen.
Instead… there were only weird "classes" ripped straight out of an RPG:
Warrior
Gunbreaker
Gunslinger
Sharpshooter
He frowned hard.
"Is this a Quirk shop… or the damn class select screen from an MMORPG?"
He even tried searching for the anime powers from his childhood.But all that appeared was:
[This world mode does not support that option]
"…You've gotta be kidding me."
He'd been ready to go all in — something insane, like Goku's full-power Super Saiyan Blue Ultra Instinct.But instead, what popped up was…
"Mineta's Quirk."
Sticky, round balls he could rip off his own head and throw at enemies.
"So what, I replace my head with sticky balls? Yeah… go to hell."
Sure, there were still strong quirks like explosions, fire, or ice.But when he compared them to the System's "Skill" and "Passive Ability" options… he started to hesitate.
Some of those skills were absolutely broken.Some passives boosted survival like they were high-level AI assistants.And best of all… they could be upgraded.Customized to fit his personal style.
He ran a hand down his face and chuckled darkly.
"Screw it… this world's quirks were never meant for me anyway."
What he would become…wasn't a hero.Wasn't an adventurer.Wasn't a shounen protagonist.
He'd be… whatever the hell it took to survive this insane mission.
Ryujin tilted his head back, gazing at the night sky. His eyes were devoid of emotion, but his mind churned with thoughts he wasn't ready to share with anyone—especially about "Four-Eyes," the younger brother of the hero that Stain had already taken care of… Surely Aizawa knew that, didn't he?Then why send Iida here?
Forget it… Those questions could wait.
After a while, Joke and the other heroes appeared. Ryujin leaned against the wall, casually scrolling through his phone as if nothing concerned him.
Joke: "Justin Law! What's the situation!? Where's Stain!?"
Her voice carried a trace of panic. Ryujin smirked and pointed toward Stain's limp body on the ground, bound tightly.
Ryujin: "All wrapped up, Joke! How about we take a picture to commemorate the moment? I can send it to my girlfriend—show her I caught the Hero Killer. Oh, look at this! Got a selfie too!"
He held out his phone, showing a photo of himself flashing a rock sign while gripping Stain's head. Endeavor's face darkened instantly, the flames around him roaring out of control—naturally, Ryujin grinned even wider, deliberately stoking the fire.
Before anything else could happen, a Nomu came barreling in, frenzied and blood-soaked, as if fleeing from something. In one swift motion, it snatched up Midoriya—who had been getting scolded by a short hero—and shot into the sky.
It all happened too fast for anyone to react.In that chaos, Stain seized his chance, grabbing a knife that had been lying on the ground. He lunged toward a female hero, licking the blood from her cheek in an instant.
The Nomu froze, its body going rigid—then collapsed, only to have Stain drive his blade straight through its chest.
The atmosphere shifted immediately—heavy, icy, and charged with the presence of a mad predator.
Stain: "A society crawling with fake heroes… Criminals who use their powers for personal gain… They must all be purged! All of them—for true justice!"
He glanced around like a saint amidst a holy massacre. Some heroes began to falter. Despite his grievous wounds, his murderous intent was overwhelming.
As for Ryujin? He simply stood there, listening without interest.
Stain: "Endeavor… you fraud… Someone has to get their hands dirty… I will restore the true meaning of the word 'Hero'!!"
Stain: "Let's see then, you frauds! The only one who has the right to kill me is... ALL MIGHT!!"
BANG!!
The sharp crack of a gunshot echoes. Ryujin pulls the trigger on his custom butterfly bullets, modified to hit "softly"—soft like an ant bite... but an entire colony of ants.
Stain staggers and falls. Ryujin steps closer, firing several more rounds. Each phrase he spits out is punctuated by BANG! BANG! BANG! — a relentless hail of bullets.
Ryujin: "Fake heroes?" BANG!
"Your ass!" BANG!
"Who cares if they do it for money?" BANG!
"They have families to look after," BANG!
"Houses to pay off!" BANG!
"People to protect!" BANG!
"You worthless piece of shit!" BANG!
The last bullet rings out, shattering the tense silence. Blood pours from Stain's wounds as Ryujin drags his head up, indifferent.
He knows the media will blow this up for sure, so why not drop something memorable for the world to remember?
Ryujin: "Listen up, bastard... Heroes risk their lives for you—for society. And who the hell are you to judge them by some 'moral code'? You're nothing but a piece of trash pretending to do the right thing… If you really want to help, just jump off a building and end this mess."
A pained groan slips from Stain's lips. Ryujin lets the body drop, then looks around again.
He glances down at himself—his shirt soaked in blood. Then he looks up, shouting directly at the cameras filming him.
Ryujin: "I know you're recording this! So listen carefully!"
He reveals his intention to the public—bold and unashamed.
Ryujin: "Heroes exist to protect society. Without them, this place would turn to hell. Don't even think about turning your back on them—and if anyone dares to stand in my way, I'll drag you down to hell with me."
He pauses for a moment, then delivers the final, chilling line:
Ryujin: "I'm not All Might. I'm no villain either. I have my own code—if it's necessary, I'll kill to protect the innocent. And if anyone dares to destroy the peace All Might built... better finish writing your suicide letter before you meet my bullet."
He cracked a wide grin, then unleashed a wave of bloodlust so fierce it was like a wild beast breaking free from its cage—an intense feeling not unlike what Stain had once released. That very moment was perfectly captured on camera, becoming the spark that ignited the whole story.
Ryujin never imagined he'd become this "famous." Whispers spread like wildfire through the streets, secret threads popped up on underground forums, and people worldwide started talking about him with a mix of fear and fascination. At the same time, the heroes began sensing something off—he wasn't just an ordinary student anymore; he was something beyond their control.
Villains grew more cautious when they heard his name. They no longer dared act carelessly, knowing that the "mad dog" could emerge from the shadows at any moment.
But the strangest thing was the name society gave him—one that didn't sound heroic at all, one that didn't appear in any UA textbooks.
And the name that echoed loudest, even splashed across news headlines, was—MAD MAN. The Madman.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
He watched the new generation of clones slowly step out from the shadows. Their bodies strong, their movements sharp, and in each pair of eyes—there was a spark of "mind" and "will" unique to every one of them.
No two were the same.No one resembled him.But that—that was exactly what he wanted.
"Pieces that can think for themselves…" he muttered coldly.
"Enough with armies that need carrying… From now on, you have to kill as befits those who are alive."
He walked away, leaving them standing there like warriors freshly granted freedom for the very first time.And every single one of them… smiled.