From the central zone to the emergency exit, the terrain formed a stretch of high ground. Two running stairways connected the areas, with a rest platform in the middle.
From here, the line of sight was almost level with the mountain zone—neither too high nor too low, perfectly positioned.
"Ice… Make…"
Lock clasped his hands together. Magic surged, wrapping his palms in an intensely bright, icy blue glow.
The magic contained within was enormous.
The next instant, his hands separated vertically in opposite directions. A sharp crack rang out as ice condensed.
An ice bow, formed entirely of ice and magic, took shape.
"Ice Make—Super Freeze Arrow!"
Majestic magic erupted once more, crystallizing into an ice arrow covered in frost from tip to tail.
No need to nock an arrow. No need to draw the bow. No need to pull to full draw.
Thought followed the heart. The ice bow and arrow, born of magic, adjusted themselves according to Lock's will.
All he needed to do was aim—and it just so happened that his eyesight was flawless.
Lock lifted his gaze toward the darkening sky, then looked down again.
Below, Aizawa Shouta was surrounded, fighting alone. He moved back and forth across the battlefield, relying solely on his physical ability and combat skill to knock down one villain after another.
"His movements are slowing…"
Lock caught it immediately. Aizawa's pace was dropping, his stamina clearly nearing its limit.
Lock inhaled deeply. The cold sensation—like breathing in air from an open freezer—calmed his mind completely.
His target wasn't Tomura Shigaraki.
It was Yamamoto Ape—the apparent leader of the League of Villains' assault.
Strangely enough, with Lock's eyesight, it was impossible to miss the scene where Yamamoto Ape struck Tomura Shigaraki and barked out orders. From the beginning, Yamamoto had been commanding everything.
It was as if Yamamoto Ape was the true mastermind, while Tomura Shigaraki was nothing more than an insignificant subordinate, cowering in the background.
So what had really happened?
Lock couldn't understand what All For One had done. He had clearly treated Tomura Shigaraki like a discarded pawn—yet everything had changed after that man broke into the League's headquarters.
"Whatever. I let you escape last time… but not this time."
Lock shook his head, dismissing the thought. His eyes narrowed as he locked onto Yamamoto Ape.
Ever since Yamamoto had been saved by Kurogiri, Lock had remembered him.
Coincidentally, Aizawa Shouta was also closing in, attempting to eliminate the leader. Yamamoto Ape grabbed Tomura Shigaraki and dragged him forward, using him like a human shield.
Every movement—between the three of them—fell perfectly within Lock's prediction.
"=…E!"
Lock focused all his consciousness into his eyes, silently chanting three times.
Unbeknownst to him, the corner of his mouth curved upward.
A cold, cruel, bloodthirsty smile.
Boom!
A terrifying shockwave burst outward as the ice bow trembled. The arrow, condensed from overwhelming magic, shot forward in an instant, stirring up a violent gale that tore through the air.
The wind pressure intensified, and the icy chill radiating from the faint blue light froze the surrounding air itself, carving a straight line through space.
Then—
A scream echoed across the entire USJ facility.
"Tch. Didn't kill him… what a shame. Still, he's half crippled."
Lock clicked his tongue in irritation. His Super Freeze Arrow had struck true, but at the instant between life and death, Yamamoto Ape had erupted with astonishing potential, twisting his body just enough to avoid a fatal hit.
Even so—
Half of his body was frozen solid.
Central Pool Area
"A Hero can't survive with only one trick."
Those were Aizawa Shouta's own words.
As a Pro Hero, he understood better than anyone that obvious weaknesses were unacceptable.
His Quirk was extremely disadvantageous in group combat, which was why he had trained specifically to fight multiple enemies at once.
That was the reason he could weave freely among the villains, taking them down one after another.
But even so, there were simply too many.
One-on-one, he could win instantly. Twenty-one one-on-ones, however, became overwhelming.
And worse—regardless of whether their Quirks were erased or unaffected, the villains possessed surprisingly strong physical conditioning.
"Ten seconds… six seconds…"
In four seconds, four engagements. Four villains collapsed.
Aizawa was counting down the remaining time his eyes could hold out. He had to stop using his Quirk soon and let his eyes rest.
Time was running out. Surrounded by enemies, he glanced at Yamamoto Ape, who stood calmly in the rear.
I'll take the risk.
"The boss?"
Aizawa lunged forward in a surprise attack. The capture weapon around his neck snapped outward, striking alongside him.
But Yamamoto Ape casually grabbed a silver-haired youth—his body covered in hand-shaped growths—and hurled him backward without hesitation.
Aizawa was startled. His capture weapon changed direction mid-air toward the silver-haired youth, but the sudden shift disrupted his line of sight. He failed to erase the Quirk.
On top of that, exhaustion dulled his precision. The binding was imperfect.
One hand broke free.
It clamped onto Aizawa Shouta's elbow.
The silver-haired youth was Tomura Shigaraki.
His Quirk, "Decay," allowed anything touched by all five fingers to crumble and spread outward.
In theory, there was no limit, which made it obvious who had destroyed the USJ entrance.
But before Tomura Shigaraki could activate his Quirk and reduce Aizawa's arm to dust—
A powerful sense of danger struck.
Icy blue light flickered in his vision.
Pure crisis.
Tomura Shigaraki abandoned the attack instantly. He tore free from the binding, rolled away twice, and left Yamamoto Ape and Aizawa Shouta facing each other.
"Siganmu, how dare you—!"
Yamamoto's furious shout cut off abruptly.
He felt it too.
Instinctively, he raised his arms and twisted his body sideways.
But it was too late.
The next instant, his raised arm—and the lower half of his body—were pierced clean through by an ice arrow and instantly frozen.
In the blink of an eye, he was transformed into a half-frozen ice sculpture.
Boom!
The impact sent Yamamoto Ape flying, slamming him into the ground. He had shifted his body just enough—otherwise, he would have died on the spot.
Even so—
The pain was indescribable.
A soul-shaking agony that drowned out thought itself.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH—!!!"
His vision turned white. Pain surged like a tsunami, and his screams echoed throughout the USJ.
"Protect me! Get over here and protect me!"
Amid Yamamoto Ape's panicked cries, the surrounding villains didn't swarm Aizawa Shouta.
Instead, they rushed to Yamamoto Ape's side.
Aizawa Shouta stood frozen in shock, missing his chance to finish the job. Seeing the villains gather defensively, he was forced to retreat for the moment.
His objective was to stall the villains until reinforcements arrived. Though regrettable, this outcome would delay them long enough.
Still, one question lingered in his mind.
Who fired that Freeze Arrow?
---
A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
Support: patreon.com/Narrator_San