After a brutal struggle, Aizawa Shouta finally brought down another wave of villains.
"So in the end," a cold voice echoed through the plaza,
"what you're best at is only short-term suppression through surprise attacks, isn't it?"
"Even so… you still charged forward."
"Was it to reassure the students?"
The speaker, Tomura Shigaraki, stood calmly at the center of the battlefield, watching as his subordinates fell one after another. His posture was relaxed, almost bored, as though the scene unfolding before him was exactly what he had expected.
Aizawa Shouta, meanwhile, clutched his arms and panted heavily. Several villains were still surrounding him, and among those he had already knocked down, one was slowly pushing himself back to his feet.
After all, Aizawa's Quirk merely erased the opponent's Quirk. That meant both sides were forced into pure physical combat. While terrifyingly effective against individuals, it became increasingly strained when facing numerous enemies—especially those with strong physical abilities.
"Although it's hard to notice," Shigaraki continued casually,
"when your hair falls down… that's when your Quirk stops working, right?"
"And that window is getting shorter and shorter."
Moments earlier, one of Shigaraki's underlings had seized Aizawa's elbow and snapped it violently. His right arm was now completely useless.
"So admirable, Hero," Shigaraki laughed softly, a sickly sound.
The severed hands covering his body trembled as his shoulders shook.
"But I'm not the main force here."
Aizawa, desperately trying to keep his gaze fixed on Shigaraki to prevent him from using his Quirk, suddenly felt a massive shadow fall over him.
"…What?"
He turned sharply—
And what filled his vision was a gigantic black creature.
The monster had been standing beside Shigaraki from the beginning. Its body was covered in grotesquely swollen muscles, its skull partially exposed, revealing a bare, pulsing brain. It didn't look human at all—its mere presence screamed danger.
"Nomu," Shigaraki ordered calmly.
"Kill him."
The massive creature moved.
Aizawa's first instinct was to lock his eyes onto Nomu and erase its Quirk. But Nomu's speed didn't drop in the slightest. In the blink of an eye, it raised an arm thicker than a grown man's thigh, grabbed Aizawa's injured arm, lifted him off the ground, and smashed him down brutally.
"Ah—!!!"
The sound that escaped Aizawa's mouth was raw and uncontrollable. His arm had been completely shattered.
At the same time, Thirteen's situation was no better.
Though unmatched in large-scale disaster relief, Thirteen lacked extensive combat experience. Under Kurogiri's precise interference, the gravitational pull of her Black Hole was redirected behind her. The backlash injured her severely, rendering her unable to continue fighting.
Fortunately, under the students' cover, Iida Tenya activated his Engine Quirk and sprinted out of USJ at full speed, racing toward the main campus.
"—Heaven Dog!!!"
The voice arrived before the heat.
Igarashi Masata, having just finished clearing the flood zone, rushed into the plaza—and the moment he saw Aizawa pinned to the ground beneath Nomu, something twisted violently in his chest.
"So this is where all the elites were gathered…"
"Even Aizawa-sensei couldn't hold out…"
Without hesitation, Masata activated his Quirk.
His right arm erupted in molten crimson, and he slammed forward toward the towering black giant.
"Hm?" Shigaraki glanced over lazily.
"Where did this brat come from?"
His tone was filled with disdain—absolute confidence.
"But it doesn't matter," he added calmly.
"This one was modified specifically for the Symbol of Peace."
Nomu didn't even attempt to dodge.
It stood perfectly still, like a wooden post.
"If you won't move," Masata growled,
"don't blame me for being rough!"
The instant Masata's fist struck Nomu's abdomen, terrifying heat erupted.
Flesh and muscle melted instantly.
Masata's entire right hand plunged straight into Nomu's body with shocking ease.
Then—
The magma detonated inside.
Masata's punch blasted straight through Nomu's torso, molten rock bursting out from its back like a volcanic eruption. The explosion painted the air with a grotesque, fiery spectacle.
When Masata pulled his arm free, a massive hole remained in Nomu's body—large enough to see clean through.
There was no blood.
Everything had been instantly vaporized.
Charred fragments of internal organs slowly slid and melted within the glowing magma.
"…What?!" Shigaraki froze.
Because of his absolute faith in Nomu's defense, he hadn't even bothered to issue an order. And Nomu itself, incapable of independent thought, had obediently taken the blow without resistance.
The attack had landed cleanly.
Nomu let out a low, distorted growl and clawed at the torn flesh around its neck, while its body still remained eerily upright—as if the damage wasn't even registered.
Then—
The wound began to heal.
At a speed visible to the naked eye, granulation tissue burst from the scorched edges. Flesh twisted, intertwined, and rapidly regenerated. Within seconds, the massive hole in Nomu's abdomen sealed shut completely.
Only faint traces of cooled magma remained on its skin, proof that the attack had truly happened.
"…Regeneration?"
Masata's expression hardened.
This level of recovery was absurd—even the nurse at U.A. couldn't heal that fast.
He glanced at Aizawa-sensei, unconscious on the ground nearby. The idea of relying on Aizawa to erase Nomu's regeneration and then striking again vanished instantly.
"So there really is no limit?" Masata muttered.
His stance shifted, magma beginning to surge again as he prepared to unleash Minggou once more.
"Nomu!" Shigaraki barked sharply.
"Kill this kid!"
The command was immediate.
Nomu moved faster than Masata expected.
Its massive frame blurred forward, and a fist larger than a sandbag hurtled toward Masata with devastating speed.
"Too fast—no time to dodge!"
"I have to meet it head-on!"
"Heaven Dog!!!"
Masata unleashed his strongest single-strike technique.
The cost was enormous.
Even with his enhanced physique, this attack could only be used twice. His right arm was already spasming violently.
BOOM!
The two fists collided.
A massive explosion of force tore through the plaza, smoke and shockwaves erupting outward. Masata felt an overwhelming power slam into him—his body was hurled more than ten meters away, completely uncontrollable.
"What the hell is this strength?!"
"…Damn it—did my arm just break?"
Masata crashed to the ground, pain exploding through his entire right side. His arm hung uselessly, no longer responding.
Grinding his teeth, he forced himself back to his feet.
"My right arm is finished… but that thing had to feel it too. Force works both ways!"
"…Hmm."
Shigaraki smiled.
A slow, chilling grin spread beneath the hand covering his face.