A demon emerged onto a battlefield of flames, smoke, and screams, crushing a Nomu beneath its feet—and it was terrifying.
People knocked down by the shockwave couldn’t muster the strength to get up; they only stared at the demon in horror.
Kirishima had snapped the Nomu’s neck and was checking to see if it would regenerate when he noticed their gazes.
He scratched his chin at the terror reflected in their eyes.
The image of his sharp claws scraping against hard skin and sending off sparks was even more terrifying, yet no one dared utter a word.
In an awkward tone he asked, "Uh, has anyone here been watching the U.A. sports festival?"
"How can you even mention a sports festival in a situation like this… Huh? Kirishima Eijiro?"
"Yes, it’s me. I was on work experience when I got sent in. I’ve subdued this thing, so you’re safe."
Kirishima prodded the lifeless Nomu—its neck broken and without any sign of regeneration—carefully checking its body.
Once he was sure it wouldn’t put up any resistance, he stood up.
The way he rose was akin to a demon descending onto the mortal world through an open gate of hell.
The flickering flames behind him, drifting smoke, and scattering embers only amplified the dramatic imagery—as if a painter were compelled to capture the scene on canvas.
There was, however, one problem: he didn’t exactly look like a hero.
"You! Step back!"
From a distance, Kirishima casually swatted away a chunk of metal as if it were a pesky fly, then turned his attention to three figures in heroic costumes running toward him.
Raising both hands to dispel his Demon Form and signal no intent to fight, he said, "Good work. I’m Kirishima Eijiro, here on work experience."
"Kirishima Eijiro? From U.A.?"
"Yes. I was working with Mirko, but we got separated—I was told to head east and subdue any enemy I encountered, so she should be over there."
A man dressed in attire reminiscent of an Indian and carrying a large staff stepped forward. Recognizing Kirishima’s face, he briefly lowered his guard before voicing his confusion.
"Then where’s Mirko? Why were you fighting that monster all alone?"
"Ah, we split up. I was ordered to handle every enemy on the east side, so we’re moving separately. Mirko should be over there."
Pointing in one direction, Kirishima received a dubious reply: "Wait—can you really be fighting while on work experience? If it’s dangerous, of course you fight, but this seems a bit excessive. It’s not really my call, though..."
He paused, then shrugged. "Ah, whatever! Mirko will handle herself. So, what are you going to do? This thing seems subdued for now."
"I need to move on immediately. There are probably monsters like this elsewhere," Kirishima replied.
"There are heroes on the other side too, you know!" the man protested.
With that, Kirishima kicked off the ground and sprinted in the direction where explosions still echoed in the distance.
The remaining heroes watched in stunned silence as he vanished into the concrete jungle.
"What was that?" one of them murmured.
"Anyway, let’s at least secure this one first," another suggested.
"Yeah. Then we can decide whether to support the others or not!"
"Right. Let’s do that." Their conversation faded into the background as, while they restrained the Nomu and calmed terrified civilians, Kirishima reached his next target in no time.
There, a hero was being overwhelmed by a black, eyeless Nomu.
Landing gracefully, Kirishima charged and smashed the creature’s flank.
The creature, unable to withstand the full force of his attack, lost its grip on the hero it had been holding, ricocheted backward, and crashed into a building wall, collapsing it along with itself.
"Are you okay? I’m here to help," Kirishima called out.
"I’m fine, but my partner’s hurt—might even be broken. And more importantly, I’ve never seen your face before!" came the startled reply.
"Ah, I’m from U…”
Before he could finish, Kirishima dispatched an incoming chunk of concrete.
The pale, gray dust swirled around him as it was carried by the wind.
Baring his fangs, he growled, "So you’ve got regeneration, huh? I doubt you’ll get it anyway."
Hexagonal patterns interlocked seamlessly across his reddened skin.
His hair, hardened and sharpened, rustled like blades in the wind.
The horns sprouting from his elbows and knees, along with his deadly claws, appeared poised to tear flesh apart and gush blood.
His grin, revealing already jagged teeth, was truly imposing.
The rescued hero was so overwhelmed by the sight that he could barely speak before Kirishima’s commanding voice snapped him back to focus.
"Take your partner and fall back. You need to tend to the injured—the teacher’s hurt too, right? I can handle this one on my own."
"But that thing is strong. I don’t know how strong you are, but, uh..."
He tried to dissuade Kirishima from facing the creature alone, then hesitated as a pair of eyes, gleaming with a red luminescence, fixed on him.
The sheer intensity in that gaze rendered him momentarily speechless.
Observing him silently, Kirishima finally broke the tension. His solemn voice cut through the air:
"No matter how strong that thing is or how many there are, it doesn’t matter. No one standing behind me will get hurt."
Kirishima wasn’t one to make grand declarations lightly; in fact, he generally disliked such dramatics. But today, here and now, he vowed that anyone following him would be kept safe.
"So fall back. And if you have the capacity, please help rescue others as well."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he lunged at the creature.
This time, he held nothing back. His fist, powerful enough to pierce through several centimeters of steel, slammed into the Nomu’s torso.
Although the creature had a resilient body, unlike the previous Nomu he’d fought, it seemed to lack any shock absorption.
In the end, unable to withstand his assault, its body was pierced by his powerful blow.
And he did not stop.
A second, nearly simultaneous attack punched another hole through its body, and a descending kick shattered its knee.
With the monster forced into a kneeling posture, Kirishima smiled down at it and said, "Goodbye, monster. That was pretty fun."
The final strike was Kirishima’s specialty—the move he had perfected over countless battles.
His left foot dug an inch deep into the cement floor as fractured pieces blasted upward and the recoil surged through his core.
The energy from his fully heated Quirk factor coursed upward, riding the force from below through his back and into his shoulders.
From his waist, rotating like a raging typhoon, to his shoulders and elbows thrusting forward, an immense force burst through his arm and finally erupted through his fist into the Nomu’s head.
The creature resisted futilely.
Its head shattered completely, scattering to the ground as it slowly toppled forward.
Watching the creature fall, Kirishima stepped back and frowned.
"Weaker than I expected. If it were like the one I fought before, I would’ve had to battle as if my life depended on it."
"Y-you…" stammered the unnamed hero, who, while tending to his injured partner and retreating, could only repeat the word "you" in shock.
Unperturbed by the stammering, Kirishima glanced at the collapsed Nomu until a piercing shriek made him grimace.
"Ugh. That noise is way too loud. Next time I’ll have to tone it down or switch it to vibration."
On the small device he pulled out, a map displayed a specific location marked in red.
After silencing the alarm, he addressed the frozen hero, "Something urgent just came up—can you take care of things here?"
"Huh? Ah, y-yeah," came the hesitant reply.
"Then I’ll leave it to you. I’m busy, so I’m off."
With that, Kirishima set off at a run once again.
The watch might have simply been broken, but Kirishima wasn’t so optimistic as to ignore an emergency signal from his gear. Considering other possible conditions that could trigger the alarm, he secretly felt it might have been better if the watch had just stopped working altogether.
He dashed from building to building, and in moments like these, he mused that it would be convenient to fly through the air like All Might.
Although he could generate enough wind pressure from his legs to launch himself, his mobility was still rather unstable—barely enough to get by, in fact. Instead of sustained flight, he was forced to leap from one spot to the next.
Still, his swiftness meant he arrived at the scene in no time. His eyes quickly caught sight of Iida and Midoriya suspended in the air.
Nearby stood an unfamiliar man, and Todoroki was also present.
The moment Kirishima landed, Iida’s kick and Midoriya’s punch connected with a strangely shaped monster.
As Midoriya lost his balance and began to fall, Kirishima grabbed him by the nape and shouted, "What are you guys doing? What is this? Am I late?"
His voice carried the heavy dismay of witnessing so many injured children.
Iida, clutching an injured arm, managed to stand and said, "Thanks for coming, Kirishima. It’s all on me—please don’t blame the others."
Seeing Iida’s tearful expression, Kirishima sighed, "Yeah, I’m late. And why would I blame you? As a friend, sure, I’m a bit annoyed, but at your age you’re bound to cause a little chaos."
"I’m sorry too... You were so worried and I didn’t even notice. I thought you noticed, Kirishima," Midoriya mumbled dejectedly.
Then Todoroki interjected, "Get it together. You’re the class representative, after all."
"Right!"
Although it initially sounded like a rebuke, his tone was warm and friendly.
Kirishima raised his eyebrows and said, "I get this is supposed to be an emotional moment, but let’s subdue this thing first, and then we’ll sort out medical treatment for everyone."
"Don’t we have any rope?"
"We don’t need rope—just break all its limbs."
"Eek… that’s a bit much," someone protested.
Though Midoriya winced at the suggestion, Kirishima remained unfazed.
Fortunately, thanks to Todoroki finding some rope, they managed to secure the creature safely.
With Midoriya, whose leg was injured, slung over his shoulder, Kirishima left with the group and soon encountered other heroes.
They gaped at the disheveled state of the team. "We came in response to Endeavor’s call for support—but are we even too late?"
"Those injuries are severe! And is that… the Hero Killer?"
At these words, Todoroki asked, "That guy… if Endeavor isn’t here, does that mean the battle over there is still raging?"
"Ah, right. The Nomu’s forms!"
In response to Midoriya’s urgent tone, a short-haired hero replied, "Yes! We came because our Quirks weren’t effective against them."
"Mirko probably went that way too, so there shouldn't be any major issues. Though, for this kind of thing, it does seem a bit late…" someone noted.
As Kirishima calmly briefed the others, an old man’s voice rang out, "Get down!"
Having deactivated his Demon Form and returned to normal—thus narrowing his range of aerial control—his reaction had been slightly delayed.
Besides, the target wasn’t Kirishima.
Reaching out toward the Nomu diving from the sky, Kirishima managed to snatch Midoriya away, only tearing part of the creature’s wing membrane in the attempt.
Of course, he wasn’t rattled.
Even though his technique—centered on repelling attacks aimed at him—had been somewhat exploited, he had still stepped into the realm of speed. His senses, sharpened by combat, instantly reached their peak.
Kirishima propelled himself into the air, plunging his consciousness into a realm where time seemed to stop.
In that instant, something else leaped alongside him.
Somehow, Stain had freed himself from his restraints.
Kirishima briefly considered knocking him down but focused first on rescuing Midoriya.
As he landed with Midoriya safely in his arms, the now-stiff Nomu dropped its hold. Seizing the moment, Stain drove a dagger into the Nomu’s head and declared, "This society of fakes—and those criminals who merely wield power—are all targets for purging. Haa… haa…”
Even kneeling and gasping for breath, Stain continued, "All of it, for the sake of a proper society."
The assembled heroes looked on in astonishment. "Did he just save him?"
"Idiot, the kid was saved by his friend!"
"Enough—get into combat formation!"
Amid the chaotic clamor, deep masculine and husky feminine voices thundered from behind, "Why are you all just standing around? One of them must have slipped away!"
"Exactly! Stop dawdling and move—Hey, Kirishima!"
Seeing Rumi alongside Endeavor, Kirishima nodded in greeting and asked, "Is that side finished?"
"Yeah! It was rough, but still an easy win," came the reply.
"Endeavor..."
While the two conversed, Stain rose and fixed his gaze on Endeavor.
The man muttered in a voice near death, and as Endeavor reacted with flames bursting from his body and stepped forward, Stain staggered and managed, "The fake… must be corrected… someone must be stained in blood…”
Though his eyes were bloodshot and his nose battered by dripping saliva, his words carried a grim determination.
With a voice echoing from the abyss, he declared, "We must reclaim the heroes! Come! Attack, you fakes! The only one who can kill me is a true hero—All Might alone!"
Malice and twisted conviction swelled into a terrifying momentum, overwhelming everyone present like a dark tide.
In that moment, a flower of evil bloomed, exuding a dark crimson scent.
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