If I Say That I Misjudged The Time To Release The Last Chapter, Would You Believe Me?
Yep. I made a mistake for when to release the chapter. I was supposed to release It right this moment. Instead I released it two hours early. Well, all's well that ends well I guess.
I will just treat this one as the bonus Chapter now.
Note, due to misjudging the time, and me posting the last Chapter earlier than I should have, the Powerstone record to break has been elevated from 4961 - 5101. Because some of you guys still had Powerstones you didn't want to drop until I released the extra chapter. Oh well. Enjoy your last chapter of the day
__
A figure yelled as they descended right in front of him.
"Stay where you are and don't take another step." The figure was a burly male with stone skin arms in a dark red uniform.
Yuta raised an eyebrow. "Which is it? Walk away or freeze?"
Behind him, Watchbird descended, landing beside Ingenium.
"Captain. Are you injured? Can you move?"
"I'm fine. It's just the Hero Killer's Paralysis Quirk," Ingenium answered, voice still stiff. "It's wearing off."
"So he's the Hero killer." In front of Yuta, Earthshaker's gaze grew colder.
"I am not." Yuta replied with a twitching vein.
Heroes flooded both entrances now. Enigma, Mirage, Torque. A dozen eyes locked onto him. Half of them wary, the other half angry.
And none willing to let him walk out.
"Hands up where I can see them!" Torque shouted.
Mirage's eyes widened as he got a clear look at Yuta's mask.
"That's him! The imposter from before—!"
"I really don't have time for this." Yuta let out a light chuckle.
Earthshaker stepped forward, stone-coated arms growing thicker as his Quirk reacted to his rising pulse.
"Unknown vigilante, surrender. Now."
"Surrender?"
Torque snarled. "Don't play dumb. You sabotaged an S-Rank operation, impersonated our comms, engaged a high-profile murderer, and endangered civilians. You're not walking away."
Yuta tilted his head, unimpressed.
"I literally kept your Captain alive. You're welcome, by the way."
"That doesn't change what you did!" Mirage snapped, hand moving to her weapon. "You attacked me. Stole my equipment. Compromised our entire operation—"
"And saved Ingenium from being crippled," Yuta interrupted, voice flat. "Which, if you're keeping score, kinda balances out."
Torque moved to flank him. "That's not how the law works."
"Funny. The law didn't show up when Stain had a blade to his throat."
Silence.
Several heroes shifted uncomfortably.
Earthshaker's stone fists clenched. "You're making this harder than it needs to be."
"Am I?"
Watchbird stepped forward, positioning herself between Yuta and the others. Her voice was measured, professional.
"Listen. We don't know who you are or what your goal was tonight. But the fact remains—you interfered with an active hero operation. That's illegal, regardless of outcome."
Yuta said nothing.
Watchbird continued. "If you cooperate now, we can sort this out properly. But if you resist—"
"You'll what?" Yuta's tone didn't shift. "Chase me? Catch me?"
Behind them, Ingenium finally managed to push himself fully upright. His legs were still shaky, but the paralysis was fading.
He took a slow breath.
"Everyone, stand down."
The other heroes hesitated.
"Captain—"
"I said stand down." Ingenium's voice carried authority despite the strain. "Give us space."
Reluctantly, the others backed off—though Mirage's glare never left Yuta.
Ingenium stepped forward, engines still sputtering faintly.
His eyes locked onto the masked man.
"I need to know," he said quietly. "Why?"
Yuta tilted his head. "Why what?"
"Why save me? Why risk everything to stop Stain?" Ingenium's jaw tightened. "You're not a hero. You're not registered. You clearly have your own agenda."
He gestured at the blood-stained alley.
"So why?"
Yuta was silent for a long moment.
Then he shrugged.
"Maybe I just don't like watching people die."
Ingenium studied him carefully.
"I don't believe that."
Another pause.
Then Ingenium straightened fully, despite the pain.
"Regardless of your reasons, you saved my life tonight. And for that, I'm grateful."
His expression hardened.
"But gratitude doesn't override the law."
Yuta raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"I'm sorry. What?"
Ingenium's helmet visor reflected the harsh alley light. He was conflicted, but his sense of duty was absolute.
"I thank you for saving me. You are owed a debt of gratitude for that. But you infiltrated a Pro Hero team's mission, and you're not a pro. Unlicensed quirk usage and intent to harm means you need to be arrested."
He paused, "Come quietly, and I promise I will help you the best I can."
Yuta rolled his eyes, a theatrical movement that suggested utter boredom.
'Get a load of these guys.'
The only reason he was still here was simply to see how these the heroes would react to his presence. Now that he had his answer, the time for reconnaissance was over.
"Alright then." He raised his right hand in a familiar sign: the ram seal. "See ya."
Then, with a practiced burst of expelled chakra, the body of the Shadow Clone exploded into a dense cloud of white smoke.
"Get Back!"
Everyone backed away warily.
When the smoke cleared, the pavement was empty. The masked man was gone.
"He... he blew up?" Mirage stammered, bewildered.
"No, Captain," the Earth Hero said, shaking his head. "I don't smell blood or see any residue. It was ..."
"His quirk no doubt."
"Captain… what now?"
Ingenium didn't answer immediately. He stared at the empty space, then up toward the dark rooftops where Stain had disappeared.
"Mirage secure the area. Torque, Earthshaker, assist the officers. Watchbird, we need a full sweep for Stain.."
He looked down at the blood-slicked pavement where his supposed savior had just vanished in a puff of smoke.
Earthshaker nodded grimly. "And the vigilante?"
Ingenium exhaled, slow and conflicted.
"…He saved my life. But he's still a criminal until we learn otherwise."
He turned away, wincing as the last traces of paralysis left his legs.
"Move out. We're done here."
The heroes dispersed into the streets. Alone for a heartbeat, Ingenium looked back one last time at the empty space where the masked stranger had stood.
"…Who are you?"
__
The quiet was almost peaceful.
Far from the roaring stadium, Yuta sat on a bench in the maintenance hallway, elbows resting on his knees. A small notepad lay balanced on his thigh, half-filled with scribbled chakra flow diagrams.
He flicked his fingers through a half-formed hand seal when,
A soft pop echoed inside his skull.
He froze mid-motion
Then—
fwsssh—
A rush of images flooded into him all at once. Yuta's head felt like it had been cracked by a sledgehammer.
Stain.
The alley.
Ingenium collapsing against the wall.
Heroes surrounding the clone.
The ram seal.
Smoke.
Silence.
The clone's entire four hours of existence replayed in his mind like a film on fast-forward.
Yuta blinked.
"…Well. That happened."
For a moment he just stood there, shoulders rising and falling with a slow exhale as the Hosu encounter settled in the back of his thoughts.
'So I held out that long, huh? …And they tried to arrest me. Figures. I save the guy and I'm still Public Enemy #… something.'
He rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Ingenium wasn't crippled. Good. As for Stain escaping, Yuta had long been prepared for it.
'Well, the heroes probably think I'm some criminal mastermind now or something.'
He rubbed his chin in thought. 'Whatever ..'
Just then, the stadium's loudspeaker, though muffled, suddenly boomed loud enough to cut through the reinforced walls.
"...AND HE'S ... WELL, SHE'S DONE IT! HATSUME MEI HAS FINALLY EXHAUSTED HER PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS AND IS OUT OF BOUNDS! IN A VERY STRANGE TURN OF EVENTS, THE WIN GOES TO CLASS 1-A'S, TENYA IIDA! THIS IS THE CRAZIEST SPORTS FESTIVAL I'VE EVER HAD THE PLEASURE TO COMMENTATE ON."
Yuta blinked at the wall.
"…Oh. Right. The Festival."
His expression twitched with amusement.
Of course. While his clone was stopping a murderer and arguing with pro heroes, Iida here was being punted around by a walking sponsorship deal.
He checked the maintenance area's low-hanging clock. 1:22 PM.
He'd left the stadium around 12:58 PM, right after the Kaminari/Shiozaki match finished.
'Time to go back then.'
He started walking again, heading toward the arena entrances.
The next round of matches were something he wanted to see. Especially the seventh one.
__
The stadium speakers roared back to life with Present Mic's unmistakable energy:
"AAALRIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! NEXT UP—A CLASH OF QUIRKS, STYLES, AND VIBES! PLEASE WELCOME TO THE ARENA… CLASS 1-A'S DARK AVENGER OF THE NIGHT—TOKOOOYAMI FUMIKAGE!"
The crowd cheered as Tokoyami stepped onto the field.
"And facing him—THE ACID QUEEN HERSELF! THE SLIPPERY STRIKING SUPERSTAR—ASHIDOOOO MINAAAA!"
Mina walked in striking a sparkly pose that sent half the audience into laughter and the other half into cheers.
Yuta walked through the entrance to the General Studies viewing section right as Present Mic finished his intro. The rush of crowd noise washed over him.
Before he could take three steps inside—
"YUTA!"
Hana noticed him, waving both arms over her head like she was signaling a rescue helicopter.
"There you are! Where were you!?" she demanded, pointing dramatically. "You MISSED SO MUCH!"
Several heads in their class turned toward him with a mix of curiosity, and "bro, you missed so much" energy.
"…I stepped out for a bit. It can't be that much."
"A bit!?"
Kimura practically grabbed his sleeve. "Dude. You missed so much. The last two matches were INSANE! INSANE!"
"First Sero got absolutely DEMOLISHED by Todoroki—like, tsunami-scale demolished—there was ice everywhere, they had to delay the next match just to clean the arena!"
"I saw."
"And THEN, Hatsume turned the arena into a live commercial! Poor Iida didn't know whether to fight or sign an endorsement deal!"
Yuta shrugged. "…Sounds like I missed the Festival's peak entertainment."
"I know right. Though it seems all the attention is going to class 1A. Their class is outrageous."
"It's normal." Yuta replied. "They alone occupied 13 spots."
"ALRIGHT, LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD! START!"
__
Enjoying the story? Want to read ahead?
Support the novel and unlock early access to unreleased chapters by joining my Patreon!
💧 WATER TIER (5$) – Read 3 chapters ahead of public releases
🌍 EARTH TIER ($7) – Read 5 chapters ahead, with bonus lore, author notes, and behind-the-scenes content
🔥 FIRE TIER ($10) – Read 8 chapters ahead, get full access to all extras, and vote in exclusive polls for bonus content
📎 Patreon.com/Future805
Even a small pledge makes a huge difference — thank you for reading