Location: Industrial Outskirts – Somewhere Near Tokyo
Time: 1:15 AM (7.5 hours Before)
Pitter-patter.
Pitter-patter.
Pitter-patter.
Rain hammered the rusted metal roofs of the abandoned factories.
Lady Nagant crouched on the edge of a massive crane arm.
Water dripped off her chin and soaked her bicolored hair.
Her right arm was fully transformed into a dark, organic rifle barrel.
Thunp.
She yanked a strand of her own hair, let her Quirk harden it into a diamond-dense bullet, and jammed it into the chamber.
She ignored the iron sights.
Click. Clack. Click.
The heavy vibrations of boots hitting the flooded pavement below told her everything she needed to know.
"Dispatch," Nagant spoke into her earpiece. "I have the target. Moving north from the tunnel sector."
"Understood, Nagant," the radio buzzed. "Capture or eliminate. The suspect just flatlined thirty prisoners."
Nagant narrowed her eyes. A flash of a red scarf moved between two stacked shipping containers.
CLICK.
She adjusted her elbow.
She read the wind pushing against her face and aimed at the empty space where the target was about to step.
BANG.
SWOOOSH.
The bullet screamed through the rain. It curved slightly in the air, tracking right for the blind spot behind the target's head.
Stendhal kept walking.
"Hmm?"
His head tilted exactly two inches to the left.
SWISH.
The pink bullet grazed his metal visor. It slammed into the ground and shattered the wet concrete.
BAAANG.
Nagant frowned. Her finger hovered over the trigger.
"He felt the air shift," Nagant whispered.
Her stomach dropped.
A sudden, nasty thrill mixed with pure dread hit her chest.
She remembered that exact movement from the Osu Ward.
"Is this guy follower of Hero X?"
She hated that feeling.
"Dispatch. Target is actively dodging. Engaging now."
She loaded three more rounds in rapid succession.
She aimed at his chest, his knees, and his head, curving all three shots to hit him from different angles simultaneously.
BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
SWISH-SWOOSH.
Down in the alley, Stendhal finally stopped.
SHINK.
He drew his katana.
Clomp. Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.
He bent his knees and sprinted straight toward the base of the crane.
The first bullet came down at his head.
Stendhal raised his blade and tilted the flat side of the steel right into the bullet's path.
CLANG.
Sparks flew.
The bullet bounced off the metal and tore into a nearby dumpster.
BOOM.
The second bullet curved toward his chest.
Stendhal stepped hard on his right foot. He brought the sword down in a fast, vertical slash.
SCREEECH.
The katana caught the diamond-hard bullet right on the tip.
The steel screamed under the pressure.
Stendhal pushed his weight forward and physically sliced the projectile in half.
The two broken pieces flew past his shoulders and shredded the chain-link fence behind him.
THUD. BAAM.
The third bullet went for his knees.
Stendhal snapped his body completely sideways. He went perfectly parallel to the bullet's line of sight.
FWOOSH.
The round missed his leg by a millimeter.
Up on the crane, Nagant scrambled to her feet. Her eyes went wide.
"What the hell," Nagant muttered.
That speed was completely unnatural. He was reading the exact trajectory of her shots and using the bare minimum physical effort to deflect them.
Stendhal reached the bottom of the crane. He grabbed the rusted ladder and started climbing fast.
SWISH.
THUMP. THUMP.
Nagant activated her HPSC air-walk boots.
She kicked off the crane and floated backward into the open air, putting thirty feet of empty space between them.
Stendhal reached the top. He stood on the metal arm, the rain washing over his bloodstained clothes.
"You work for the fake system," Stendhal rasped. "You protect the rot."
"I clean up the bodies guys like you leave behind," Nagant yelled over the rain. She kept her rifle arm pointed right at his chest. "Put the sword down. You're surrounded."
"I am the blade of the new era," Stendhal gripped his katana with both hands. "I am executing the filth the heroes are too weak to kill."
Nagant let out a dry laugh.
"Hehe... You think you're him?" Nagant mocked.
She stared at his relaxed shoulders.
She saw right through his stance. "I met the real Hero X. I know what that guy feels like. You're just a cheap copy."
Stendhal's grip tightened. The metal handle of his sword creaked.
"I am his chosen shadow!" Stendhal roared.
He leaped off the crane arm. He threw his entire body across the gap, swinging his sword straight at her neck.
Nagant fired.
BANG.
Stendhal twisted mid-air and slapped the bullet away with his blade.
CLANG.
He closed the distance and swung a heavy horizontal slash.
Nagant swung her rifle barrel to parry the steel.
SMASH. BOOM.
The impact sent a shockwave through the rain.
"Ugh!"Nagant grunted.
The sheer physical force pushed her back.
Stendhal pressed the assault.
He unleashed a flurry of fast, short thrusts, aiming for her joints to disable her weapon arm.
CLACK.
CLACK.
SWISH.
Nagant pedaled backward on her air-walk boots.
She blocked the strikes with her barrel. Sparks flew every time the steel hit her arm.
She waited for an opening. She saw his shoulder drop.
BANG.
She fired point-blank.
Stendhal jerked his head back.
The bullet ripped through the fabric of his red scarf, tearing it to shreds.
SCREECH.
He landed heavily on the roof of a nearby warehouse. He slid backward on the wet metal, his boots scraping loudly.
HUFF-PUFF.
He breathed hard. His arms ached.
Blocking those high-velocity rounds was tearing up his wrists.
He could mimic the minimalist movements of Hero X, but he couldn't copy the absolute power. He still had to deal with the force.
Nagant hovered in the air above him. She loaded another round.
She was annoyed.
She couldn't get a clean shot. Every time she aimed for a vital spot, he shifted his weight and ruined her angle.
"You're sweating," Nagant called out. She smirked. "The real guy didn't sweat. He never even breathed hard. You're just a crazy guy in a mask."
Stendhal glared at her through his visor.
He knew she was right. He couldn't win this fight in the open. She had the high ground and the range.
He reached into his belt and pulled out a heavy, military-grade canister. He bought it from the hub deal last week.
Nagant saw the canister and aimed for his hand.
"Don't even try it," she warned.
Stendhal pulled the pin and slammed the canister straight down onto the metal roof.
BOOM.
A massive flash of white light exploded across the roof.
A thick, heavy cloud of grey chemical smoke immediately followed.
"Shit!" Nagant shielded her eyes and cursed.
She aimed her rifle blindly into the smoke and fired twice.
BANG.
BANG.
She heard the bullets hit the metal roof. Nothing else.
"Dispatch! He popped a smoke screen!" Nagant yelled.
She flew down and landed on the roof. She waved her hand, trying to clear the thick smoke.
She looked around. The roof was empty.
She ran to the edge and looked down into the maze of dark alleys and open sewer grates.
There was no sign of him.
He matched his escape with the flash perfectly, using the blind spot to vanish.
Nagant lowered her rifle arm. It slowly shifted back into regular flesh and bone.
She rubbed her shoulder. It was bruised from blocking his sword strikes.
She tapped her earpiece.
"Dispatch. Target escaped."
"Report, Nagant! Where did he go?" The chief sounded panicked over the radio.
"He went into the underground maze," Nagant said.
She walked over to the edge of the roof and stared down into the dark. "He is highly trained. He physically cuts sniper rounds out of the air. He reads trajectories before I even pull the trigger."
"Are you saying you can't take him alone?"
"I'm saying if I get close again, he's going to take my head off," Nagant replied bluntly. "He's obsessed with Hero X. He fights exactly like him."
The radio went dead silent for a few seconds.
"Understood," the chief finally said. His voice was shaking.
*-*-*-*
Location: Salaam Agency Medical Bay – Cairo, Egypt
Time: Day 2 of the Contract
BUBBLE.
BUBBLE.
HUMMM.
The medical room smelled heavily of antiseptic and metal.
A massive cylindrical glass tank sat in the center of the room.
Glob. Glob. Glob.
It was filled with a thick, glowing green bio-fluid.
Salaam floated inside the tank. He wore a breathing mask over his face.
His flat, 2D body was covered in dark purple bruises. The marks ran all the way down his ribs and chest.
Kaito sat on a metal stool next to the glass. He held a datapad, scrolling through the medical scans.
Salaam opened his eyes. He pressed his hand against the glass.
Thump. Thump.
Kaito reached over and tapped a button on the console. A small two-way speaker turned on.
"You look terrible," Kaito said. He offered a small smile.
"My whole body is burning," Salaam's voice crackled through the speaker. He sounded exhausted. "That honeycomb fold thing. When I tried to crinkle my chest inward, I felt my muscles actually snap. I didn't expect it to fail and hurt so much."
"You tore your Quirk fibers," Kaito explained calmly. "You are physically forcing your cellular structure to compress. Quirks are muscles, Salaam. If you want to change their density, you have to break the old tissue down first."
Sigh.
Salaam looked down at his bruised chest. He sighed.
"This bio-fluid is cold," Salaam complained lightly.
"It speeds up the cell regeneration," Kaito said. He set his datapad down. "The budget we saved by canceling those heavy armor suits paid for this tank. I know it hurts. Take the rest of the day to soak. We push the density training again tomorrow."
Salaam nodded slowly.
"Thanks, Kaito," Salaam said. "For keeping an eye on me."
"Rest," Kaito said. He turned the speaker off.
*-*-*
Location: Salaam Agency Training Grounds
Time: Day 5 of the Contract
The Cairo sun beat down hard on the outdoor dirt field.
Over a dozen rookies sat on the metal bleachers.
Oasis and Resin stood near the front, watching the drills.
Down on the field, Gale and Sirocco were failing.
WHOOSH.
Gale shoved her hands forward. A massive burst of wind shot out.
Sirocco stood in front of her. He held his arms out, trying to form a thick tube of sand to catch the wind.
FWOOSH.
The air pressure hit the sand. The tube completely exploded.
Brown dust blew everywhere, coating the rookies in the bleachers.
"Ugh!" Resin coughed, waving his hands to clear the dust from his face.
Gale dropped her arms and groaned.
"It keeps breaking!" Gale yelled. She blew a pink bubble with her gum.
POP.
Sirocco wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked frustrated. "The wind is too strong. My sand can't hold the pressure together."
CRUNCH.
CRUNCH.
Kaito walked across the dirt field. He held his hands in his pockets. He stopped right between the two sidekicks.
"The wind is fine," Kaito said. He looked at Sirocco. "Your sand is too dry."
Sirocco blinked. "What do you mean Manager?"
"Dry sand has zero binding strength," Kaito explained.
He pointed at the ground. "You are pulling topsoil. You need to pull sand from deeper underground, where the moisture is. Wet sand holds its shape under pressure."
Sirocco looked down at his hands. He closed his eyes and focused.
RUMBLE.
The ground shook slightly.
Darker, heavier sand pulled up from the dirt. Sirocco shaped it into a thick, dense ring.
"Gale," Kaito turned to her. "You are pushing the wind from your palms. You are making a wide wall of air. I need a spear. Purse your lips. Focus the air through your mouth and push it straight through the center of his ring."
Gale nodded. She took a deep breath.
"Ready!" Sirocco yelled. He held the wet sand tube steady.
Gale aimed.
FWOOSH.
A tight, screaming tunnel of wind shot straight through the wet sand.
The sand tube held perfectly. The air blasted out the other side and completely shattered a wooden target dummy fifty yards away.
SMASH.
The rookies on the bleachers cheered.
"Woah," Gale smiled, looking at her hands.
"We got it," Sirocco grinned, clapping his huge hands together.
Kaito nodded. "Keep running that drill. Fifty more times. You need the muscle memory before Salaam gets out of the medical bay."
"....." Gale and Sirocco
*-*-*
Location: Salaam Agency Server Room
Time: Day 10 of the Contract
The air conditioning blasted cold air across the room. Four massive computer towers hummed loudly.
HUMMMM.
Nuubis stood in front of the main monitor. He wore a heavy sweater.
He held a giant mug of black coffee. He had dark circles under his eyes.
Creak.
The door opened. Kaito walked in holding a paper file.
"Are we live?" Kaito asked.
Nuubis took a long drink of his coffee. He nodded and pointed at the screen.
"The Sett-System is fully online," Nuubis said. "We patched into the city's underground seismic sensors and the architectural database. It took my guys three days to sync the code."
A 3D map of Cairo rotated slowly on the screen. Dozens of green dots blinked across the city blocks.
BEEP.
BEEP.
Suddenly, a red dot flashed near the edge of the map.
Nuubis quickly typed on his keyboard. A warning window popped up.
"Look at this," Nuubis said. He leaned closer to the screen. "The system just flagged a four-story apartment building in Sector Nine. A water main broke underground. The soil is washing away. The foundation is going to crack in exactly two hours."
Kaito looked at the numbers.
"Send Resin and the evac rookies," Kaito ordered. "Have them clear the building and call the city water department. Resin can use his sap to seal the pipe temporarily."
Nuubis grabbed his radio and relayed the orders.
He set the radio down and looked at Kaito. He shook his head in disbelief.
"We just stopped a disaster before anyone even called emergency services," Nuubis said. "My teams usually spend twelve hours a day walking the streets looking for trouble. Half the time, they find nothing."
"Now they don't have to wander," Kaito said. He crossed his arms. "The system watches the city. Your sidekicks stay at the agency and train until the alarm rings. You just bought your team thousands of hours of free time."
Nuubis smiled. He finally relaxed his shoulders.
"This is crazy," Nuubis laughed softly. "It actually works."
*-*-*
Location: Cairo Market District
Time: Day 15 of the Contract
CRASH.
A parked car flipped over and smashed into a fruit stand.
Civilians screamed and ran down the narrow streets.
A villain made entirely of jagged grey rock stomped through the market.
He carried a heavy canvas bag filled with stolen cash from a local bank.
"Out of the way!" the rock villain roared. He swung his heavy arm and smashed a brick wall.
Up on a flat rooftop three blocks away, the Launch Squad stood ready.
Salaam wore his red and gold suit. He stretched his arms.
The bruises were gone.
His body looked a little sharper, a little more defined at the edges.
Gale and Sirocco stood directly behind him.
"Intel Team to Launch Squad," Nuubis spoke through their earpieces. "Sett-System confirms the street is clear of civilians. The target is isolated in the center intersection."
"Copy that, Nuubis," Salaam said. He looked over his shoulder. "You guys ready to try this for real?"
"We got you, Boss," Gale cracked her knuckles.
"Funnel up!" Sirocco yelled.
Sirocco slammed his hands together.
A thick, heavy tube of wet sand formed in the air, pointing slightly downward toward the street.
HUFF.
Salaam stood in front of the tube. He took a deep breath.
CRACKLE.
His flat body folded. He crinkled his edges, shaping his 2D form into a perfect, aerodynamic dart.
"Wind blast!" Gale shouted.
WHOOSH.
Gale fired a concentrated spear of wind straight through the sand tube.
The pressurized air slammed directly into Salaam's back.
BOOM.
The sound barrier shattered. A white ring of vapor exploded in the air.
Salaam shot off the roof like a missile. He tore through the sky, covering three city blocks in less than two seconds.
"What's that?" The rock villain looked up. He only saw a red blur.
CRACK-BOOM!
Salaam hit the ground twenty feet in front of the villain. He instantly popped back into his normal shape. His boots skidded on the pavement.
"Stop right there," Salaam yelled.
The villain growled.
"Damn! Salaam!"
He dropped his bag of cash. He charged forward, raising a massive rock fist to crush the hero.
Salaam didn't block.
He didn't run away.
He waited until the fist was exactly one inch from his face.
SNAP.
Salaam turned his body completely sideways.
He went perfectly parallel to the villain's line of sight.
"Huh?" The villain gasped.
He stopped his punch mid-air. He looked around wildly.
Salaam had vanished.
Salaam simply took one step to the right, moving out of the villain's blind spot. He stood directly behind the massive guy.
He remembered Kaito's lesson.
Salaam went completely limp. He flattened his arms into long ribbons. He wrapped them tightly around the villain's extended punching arm.
He pulled backward, stealing all the heavy forward momentum the villain just used.
"Whoa!" the villain yelled, losing his balance completely.
Salaam used the kinetic whiplash.
He snapped his body back, pulling the heavy rock villain over his shoulder, and slammed him face-first into the concrete street.
SMASH.
Thud.
The concrete cracked in a spiderweb pattern.
The villain's eyes rolled back. He went completely limp.
Salaam stood up.
He popped his arms back to normal and brushed off his suit. He looked at his hands. They didn't hurt at all.
Footsteps echoed in the alley.
KACHA.
"The launch was clean," Kaito called from the comms. "The dart fold held together. The blind-spot dodge worked."
Salaam clenched his fuat. A huge, bright smile spread across his face.
"I didn't feel a thing!" Salaam laughed.
He pointed at the unconscious villain. "I just used his own weight against him. I didn't even have to punch him!"
"Good," Kaito said. "Resin is on the way to wrap him up. Let's head back to the agency. We are running the launch drill again. I want you to break the sound barrier faster next time."
Salaam pumped his fist in the air.
"Let's do it!" Salaam cheered.
KACHA.
*-*-*-*-*
Location: Underground Desert Base – Somewhere near Egypt
Time: Midnight
CLINK.
Flect Turn picked up a glass of water from his metal desk.
Sip.
He brought the glass to his lips and took a slow drink.
Then, he placed his free hand against his own cheek. He felt the warmth of his own skin.
All For One kept his promise.
The Reflect quirk was finally turned off. Flect could touch things just like a normal person. After all he awakened it when he consumed the God Serum.
He rubbed the fabric of his heavy robes. The black Abyssal Mark burned underneath.
He had his physical freedom. At the same time, All For One and the League still controlled him completely.
Clunk.
He put the glass down and turned around.
The bunker was huge.
Massive computer servers lined the far walls. Clean, bright lab stations sat in the center of the room.
Three people stood waiting for him.
Flect had pulled them from the League's deepest underground database. They were radical outcasts who hated their own powers or hated hero society.
Beros wore a green tactical suit. She pulled a strand of her own hair, turned it into a hardened pink arrow, and loaded it into the organic bow attached to her left arm.
CREAK.
She pulled the string back tight, testing the tension.
She slowly lowered the weapon. She stood perfectly straight, showing absolute discipline.
"Master Flect," Beros spoke clearly. "The data in Europe is gone and wiped out."
Standing right next to her were the Serpenters.
The twins looked exactly alike. Segmented, steel-like tentacles shifted and curled around their shoulders and backs.
"According to you Master, disaster bombs can only be created with you guys personally doing it," the first twin said.
"We finally checked all of it last week, none of it remained. All the location you provided us was negative." the second twin finished.
They spoke with the exact same flat tone.
Flect walked over to the main lab table.
"It's a pity. I was hoping to mass produce miniature versions of them and sell it to wealthy people" Flect told them. "Then.. We will focus entirely on biochemistry from now on."
He tapped a few keys on his console. A 3D model of a chemical molecule popped up on the large screen.
"Trigger gas?" Beros said. She stared at the screen.
"I had already manufactured it a long time ago. But now, we will create a new variation," Flect answered. "The previous gas overloaded regular heroes. This new version will specifically target the core Quirk Factor."
The twins tilted their heads at the exact same time.
"Why?" the first twin asked.
"You want to kill a specific target," the second twin said.
Flect nodded.
He typed on the keyboard. A satellite image of Hero X appeared on the monitor.
"Someone gave me a very clear perspective," Flect said. "Hero X can fold reality. He can stop earthquakes. He is a god. Gods do not evolve. They stagnate. Science adapts. We will create a concentrated, invisible strain of Trigger gas. The gas will hopefully overload his Quirk Factor. His own massive power will tear his body apart from the inside. That's the plan and idea."
Beros narrowed her eyes. She tightened her grip on her bow.
"Master Flect, that research takes a massive amount of money," Beros pointed out. "We need hundreds of live test subjects and billions in funding. The entire world watched Hero X save the planet on live television. The global elites worship him right now. They will never fund an anti-quirk organization."
Flect gave a cold smile.
"They do not worship him, Beros. They are absolutely terrified of him," Flect corrected her.
He pressed a button. The screen played the satellite footage of Hero X flattening the ocean into a 2D plane.
"What would you think those billionaires and the politicians feel after they watched a single man rewrite the laws of world!" Flect explained. "A man who can stop an earthquake can easily start one. The elites lost all their power and control in that one second. They know Hero X is holding a Sword of Damocles to the entire planet. We will approach them in secret. We will offer them an equalizer. We will offer them a poison that can kill a god."
"....."
Beros slowly nodded. A zealous light appeared in her eyes. She understood the psychology perfectly.
"We sell them control," Beros said. "We use their fear to fund the labs."
"Yes." Flect pressed another button.
The screen changed to a glowing symbol. It looked like a fragmented human hand holding the earth.
"We call the movement Humarise," Flect told his recruits. "We will take the elites' money. We will also take the desperate, broken outcasts on the streets. They will volunteer as our test subjects. We will test the new gas variations on them down here."
SLITHER.
The metal tentacles on the twins' backs curled aggressively.
"We will gather the flock," the twins said together.
Flect looked back at the screen showing the Humarise logo.
"Go," Flect ordered them. "Start making the connections. The cleansing starts now."
*-*-*-*-*
Location: Market District – Cairo, Egypt
Time: One and Half Months Later
RUMBLE.
The street shook violently.
A massive villain covered in jagged rock plating roared. He took the enhanced trigger that was still circulating in the underground world.
"HAHAHA! TAKE THIS!"
He smashed his fists into the pavement, sending shockwaves down the block.
"This money is mine! Hahaha"
Fruit stands flipped over.
BOOOM.
A fire hydrant burst.
"Help!"
"Run away!"
People screamed, running in every direction.
"Get back! Clear the street! Half of you, safely evacuate the people."
"Yes sir!" The rookies replied and went into action.
Nuubis hit the ground hard.
Thud.
He dropped to one knee and ignored the computer tablet strapped to his wrist.
He pressed his furry jackal hands and his right ear directly against the cracked concrete.
His mutant hearing dialed up. He tuned out the screaming crowd and listened to the vibrations deep underground.
He heard metal bending.
"The Sett-System is flashing red, but I can hear the rebar snapping!" Nuubis yelled into his radio. "Sector four! The foundation on the corner building is giving out!"
He pointed at a five-story apartment building. It was leaning heavily to the left. The front balcony started to tear away from the brick.
"The rest of you!" Nuubis barked. "Stack it! Right now!"
Resin sprinted forward. He aimed his wrists at the leaning wall.
SPLAT.
Thick, yellow sap shot out and covered the cracking bricks.
Oasis ran up right behind him. She held out her palms and blasted the sap with a heavy stream of water.
SPLASH.
"Hit it!" Oasis yelled.
A third rookie kicked the dry, dusty street as hard as he could, sending a massive wave of dirt directly into the wet sap.
CRUNCH.
The mixture hardened instantly.
It created a thick, ugly brown pillar of makeshift concrete right under the falling balcony. The pillar groaned under the weight, but it held.
"We got ten seconds!" Resin shouted. "Get them out!"
The rookies rushed the doorway.
They used minor stretching and speed quirks to grab the trapped civilians and pull them into the safe zone.
Nobody panicked. They moved like clockwork.
Nuubis tapped his earpiece.
"Roof team, the drop zone is clear!" Nuubis yelled. "Launch him!"
Three blocks away, up on a flat rooftop.
Sirocco slammed his hands together. He reached deep underground with his Quirk.
Dark, heavy, wet sand tore out of the dirt and formed a massive, tightly packed barrel in the air.
Gale took a deep breath.
"Ready?" she asked.
Salaam stood in front of the barrel. His red and gold suit gleamed in the sun.
CRACKLE.
He folded his body. He compressed his edges until he looked like a razor-sharp paper dart.
"Do it," Salaam said.
WHOOSH.
Gale fired a highly pressurized spear of wind straight through the wet sand.
BOOM.
A white ring of vapor exploded over the city.
Salaam broke the sound barrier. He shot off the roof as a red blur.
Back at the market, a huge chunk of concrete finally broke off the roof of the apartment building.
It fell straight down toward the street.
Salaam arrived in less than two seconds.
He squeezed his muscles, forcing his Quirk fibers to compress just like he practiced in the medical bay.
SLICE.
He cut the massive concrete block cleanly in half mid-air.
The two pieces crashed onto the empty pavement on either side of the crowd.
CRASH.
Salaam hit the ground and instantly popped back into his normal 3D shape.
The rock villain spun around.
"Number One!" the villain roared. He pulled back a massive stone fist and swung hard at Salaam's head. "You can't stop me! You have no offensive power."
Swish.
Salaam didn't block.
He simply took one step to the right, sliding perfectly into the villain's blind spot. He went completely limp.
His arms flattened into ribbons, wrapping tightly around the villain's heavy punching arm.
"Huh!?" the villain yelled, suddenly losing his balance.
Salaam snapped his weight backward.
He used the kinetic whiplash. He took all of the villain's forward momentum and yanked him down.
WHAM. BAAM.
The villain slammed his own chin directly into the concrete. His eyes rolled back. He was out cold.
One move only.
Salaam let go and stood up. He didn't even throw a punch.
The street was dead quiet.
Then, the crowd erupted.
"Salaam!"
"Did you see that speed?!"
Clap. Clap. Clap.
People clapped and cheered. Cell phone cameras started flashing everywhere.
Salaam didn't strike a pose for the cameras.
He ignored the reporters running toward the barricade. He walked straight over to a terrified mother sitting on the sidewalk. She was holding her crying little boy.
Salaam knelt down in the dirt.
"Hey there," Salaam smiled warmly. He gently brushed some dust off the kid's shoulder. "It got a little loud today, huh?"
Sniff.
The little boy sniffled. He looked at the Number One Hero with wide eyes.
"You're okay," Salaam said.
His voice was deep, steady, and incredibly calm. The panic in the immediate area just seemed to melt away when he spoke. "The bad guy got clumsy and tripped. He's taking a nap now."
The mother let out a shaky breath and started crying from pure relief. She reached out and squeezed Salaam's hand.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Just doing my job, ma'am," Salaam smiled. "Let's get you both some water."
OOOHHHH.
The crowd cheered even louder.
Near the back of the police barricade, Kaito stood with his hands in his pockets. He watched the whole thing.
Nuubis jogged over to him. The jackal hero was breathing hard, wiping dust off his pants.
"Man, my ears are ringing," Nuubis groaned. He rubbed the side of his head.
"You reacted two seconds faster than the computer system," Kaito said. "Good job trusting your own head."
Nuubis grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. "The kids stacked their quirks perfectly. And the boss didn't even get hit once."
"It's a solid start," Kaito replied. He checked the time on his phone. "We are exactly six weeks in. Halfway through the contract."
Nuubis smiled. "Time flies really fast."
Kaito looked up at the nearby roof where Gale and Sirocco were climbing down the fire escape.
"Yes, but it's not enough." Kaito said simply. "Everyone need more polishing."
Nuubis groaned loudly and slumped his shoulders.
"Man, we should relax and eat something good tonight. Enough with the training and stuff." Nuubis complained.
Kaito just smirked, turned around, and walked down the street.
"Haha. I'll be a little late. I need to look for souvenirs or memorabilia in the city."
...
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(9 Advanced Chapters)