"I don't like using channeling for a reason…"
Whiz!
Shugen vanished from where he stood, leaving only the displaced sound of air behind. Without the support of the Bio-Field, his movements changed—less expansive, less "absolute"… but still far beyond what a normal human, or even someone with an enhancement-type Quirk, could achieve.
Channeling worked differently.
Instead of expanding his energy through the Bio-Field, he forced it to flow exclusively through his blood vessels and neurotransmitters. It was an internal flow—compressed, denser.
Boom!
A shockwave of air burst outward, shattering nearby windows and sweeping debris like leaves. The invisible impact struck the giant villain's abdomen, forcing the colossal body to bend as the air was ripped from its lungs.
"ARGH!"
Whiz!
Shugen appeared beneath the hunched figure, his arm drawn back with pinpoint precision, muscles compressing energy into a single point.
Boom!
The upward strike exploded into a concentrated shockwave, driving the villain's body backward as the impact surged through its torso like an invisible pillar of force.
And then he vanished again.
The difference was clear.
The Bio-Field's primary purpose was access to cutting power.
But channeling… had a much simpler purpose.
"You bastard!" the villain roared midair, twisting its body and bringing its remaining arm down in a crushing blow.
That purpose was to grant Shugen a perfect body—in every sense, and absolutely.
The strike descended toward him, but Shugen raised both hands and caught the giant's arm mid-swing. The impact still unleashed a shockwave around them, cracking the ground beneath his feet, but he did not yield.
Without hesitation, he rotated his hips and pulled the arm with force, completely redirecting the attack.
Boom!
The villain himself was hurled into the ground, the impact opening a massive crater beneath his body.
"I don't like using Channeling because I have to rely on the old man's martial arts," Shugen commented, slowly raising his leg before bringing it down with force.
Boom!
The ground beneath his feet cracked, fissures spreading like a web from the point of impact.
"『Kanzaki Style – Kyokushin Karate Method』..." he murmured, closing his eyes for a moment as he drew in a deep breath. His breathing stabilized, his entire body entering a different state—more restrained, more precise.
"I am El Gigante, you piece of shit. I won't fall to that." The titan snarled as he rose again. Suddenly, his arm began to swell, tripling in size within seconds. "Die!"
The colossal hand came crashing down.
"『Kanzaki Style – Kyokushin Karate Method: Shuto』"
Shugen moved with minimal precision. The edge of his hand met the attack at the exact point, completely deflecting its trajectory.
Boom!
The massive hand slammed into the building beside them, destroying part of the structure with ease.
"『Kanzaki Style – Kyokushin Karate Method: Kakato Geri』"
Shugen leapt high, his body light despite the internal pressure. At the peak of his movement, he raised his leg above his head and brought it down in a devastating axe kick.
"As if!"
El Gigante stepped back—then his body abruptly shrank.
"Tsk!"
Shugen clicked his tongue, halting the strike mid-descent and adjusting his posture in the air before landing with complete control.
Even so, there was no tension in his body.
Unlike the Bio-Field, Channeling did not drain his systems—on the contrary, it reinforced his blood vessels and neurotransmitters during use. His body became more efficient, stronger, faster, more durable… better.
And even so…
He hated using it.
Maybe it was easier to pretend he hated it… and hide behind his preference for cutting techniques.
But even he knew that was a lie.
"So your Quirk is Size Manipulation… or Proportion Manipulation?" Shugen asked, staring at the villain.
El Gigante smiled, but a drop of sweat slowly ran down his forehead.
"I'm not telling a damn thing to a bastard like you."
In terms of direct combat, the difference was already clear.
Strength.
Speed.
Durability.
Shugen surpassed him in all of them.
But to the villain, that didn't matter.
If he grew large enough… he would win.
Zoom!
El Gigante expanded again, his body growing abruptly—
But Shugen was already there.
He appeared in front of him like a blur, raising his leg without hesitation.
"『Kanzaki Style – Kyokushin Karate Method: Mae Geri』"
Boom!
The front kick struck the abdomen with brutal precision, piercing through flesh with concentrated force. The impact tore through muscle and structure, causing blood to burst from the wound as the giant body froze for an instant.
Shugen kept his leg extended for a second before pulling it back.
He ran a hand across his face, wiping away the blood that was dripping.
"Then do me a favor…" he muttered, his voice low and controlled.
His dull, opaque eyes stared at the villain without emotion.
"Don't die yet. I need to know a few things."
The villain looked at Shugen.
There was no fear in his gaze, nor hesitation.
But there was rage—pure, burning anger.
In an explosive movement, El Gigante lunged forward with absurd speed for someone of his size, grabbing Shugen before he could react.
Boom!
The boy's body was slammed into the ground, opening a crater on impact. Concrete shattered beneath his back, fragments bursting upward like a small explosion.
"You think you can make demands of me?!" the villain roared, his voice echoing between the buildings, making windows tremble. "You think you can defeat me?! There's no way a hero could ever defeat me!"
At the bottom of the crater, Shugen simply stared at him.
No hurry.
No urgency.
Only contempt.
El Gigante raised his foot and brought it down to stomp.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Each impact came stronger than the last, the ground sinking deeper and deeper as he crushed the spot where he had thrown Shugen. Dust rose, debris flew, the sound was brutal.
Then—
Schlick!
A strange sound cut through the rhythm of the violence.
And with it, pain.
A sudden, sharp pain ran through the villain's leg.
His suit—previously intact, a black-and-yellow bodysuit that left his arms and legs exposed—was now stained. The flesh of his leg had been torn open. Blood sprayed violently from the exposed wound.
"Bleh…"
Shugen was standing.
Amid the wreckage.
And in his mouth… a large strip of skin and flesh torn from the villain's leg.
Pshhh!
Blood gushed under pressure from the open wound. The giant body staggered before dropping to its knees, a hand instinctively reaching for the injury as he swallowed a scream.
"Tastes like garbage…" Shugen muttered, spitting the piece of flesh onto the ground.
When he lifted his head—
His hood fell.
Completely revealing his face.
Young… but ruined. Opaque eyes, no shine, and a hollow expression marked by something that shouldn't exist at that age.
"A kid…?"
The realization hit like a shock.
He was being defeated.
Not by a hero.
But by a boy.
"You're not going to tell me your pride is that fragile, are you?" Shugen asked, scratching his head before brushing his hair back. The gesture was far too casual for someone covered in blood. "You worthless trash."
He spat on the ground and wiped his mouth, cleaning the blood still dripping. Without warning, he pulled his arm back and punched the air behind him.
Boom!
The impact hit nothing… and yet, the building behind him trembled. Its base cracked, part of the structure giving way as if it had been directly struck by an invisible force.
Shugen looked at his own hand.
"Strange…" he murmured, his dull eyes analyzing the movement. "So the transmission method through neurotransmitters and blood vessels can reach this level?"
He slowly closed and opened his hand, as if testing the sensation.
"Looks like I've got a new toy to try out."
"Tsk!"
El Gigante, irritated, inflated his leg even further, muscles grotesquely expanding as he raised it above Shugen.
"You're dead!"
His rage overflowed. Being pressured by a brat—someone who didn't even look like he had finished middle school—was an unacceptable humiliation.
Smash!
Boom!
The colossal foot came crashing down with crushing force—
And stopped.
Shugen had raised his hand at the last instant.
The impact never reached him.
The foot didn't touch him.
A distortion in the air formed between them, like an invisible lens compressing space. The force was diverted, pushed away, as if it had struck a barrier that didn't exist.
Zoom!
"Huh?"
The villain's foot was pushed back. For the first time, clear surprise crossed his face.
And then, Shugen appeared right in front of him.
His hand extended, touching the air before him.
The space ahead seemed compressed, distorted, as if it were about to shatter.
"『Kanzaki Style – One Inch Punch』"
Boom!
The impact exploded forward in a straight line with absurdly concentrated force.
The air was pierced.
The pressure tore through the villain's body, detonating everything in its path.
"What an interesting development." Shugen commented, pulling his hood back over his head as he watched the villain's body rapidly shrink to its original size.
Boom!
El Gigante crashed into the ground, the impact kicking up dust and debris. His body fell heavy and lifeless, as if all the strength sustaining that form had simply run out.
Shugen walked toward him without hurry.
His footsteps were light, almost indifferent, in stark contrast to the destruction around them.
"Hey~ Losing to someone younger must be bad for a villain's résumé, huh?"
Silence.
No response.
The man's body remained motionless, partially sunk into the rubble, his faint breathing revealing his unconscious state.
"You're pathetic…" Shugen muttered, stopping beside him. "You were all fired up a second ago, and now you're lying there like a bum."
He slipped a hand into his pocket.
Pulled out a few crumpled bills.
And tossed them onto the fallen body.
The money landed carelessly on the villain's chest, stained with dust and blood.
"Good luck with that."
Without waiting for a reply, Shugen turned his back.
The rain still fell.
The street was still in ruins.
And in the middle of that scene, only a defeated man remained… with a few scattered bills on his body, and heroes approaching fast.
Meanwhile, the young martial arts master had already left.