Lock finished healing the American Shorthair and quickly stood, coughing lightly as he looked away—just like Kōgūyami and Kamui Woods had done.
See no evil.
Of course… he had already seen everything when he tore her suit open to reach the wound.
Her figure was—
ahem.
No time for that.
A deep, bestial roar rolled through the factory.
"Ho—ho—ho—!"
It echoed from the direction of the research lab.
Louder.
Closer.
"Get the American Shorthair out of here!" Lock ordered, already turning toward the noise.
Judging by the sound, it had to be the incomplete Nomu from the culture tanks.
"Right!"
Sirius pushed aside her confusion, grabbed the unconscious Shorthair with Mandalay's help, and the three immediately retreated toward the exit.
This wasn't a TV drama—no pointless "we can't leave you!" scenes.
They understood completely: staying would only drag Lock down.
Once they vanished, the source of the roar burst into view.
"What… what are those!?"
Even Kōgūyami, with over ten years of experience, stared in shock.
Twenty—no, more than twenty—twisted, humanoid monsters with exposed brains and warped bodies charged forward, roaring mindlessly.
A legion of Nomu.
They spotted Lock and the others, and their howling rose to a frenzy—like predators discovering prey.
"Oh, you think we're the prey?" Lock smirked, eyes narrowing as he stepped forward.
He glanced up through the massive hole in the ceiling.
Moonlight poured in—almost inviting.
Strangely, despite their numbers, the Nomu didn't pressure him at all.
His draconic instincts whispered a simple truth:
These Nomu were defective.
"Kōgūyami-sensei. Kamui Woods. Fall back. Leave this to me."
"But—"
Kōgūyami opened his mouth, ready to argue. His clones were perfect for this—this was exactly his kind of battlefield.
But Lock turned his head slightly.
Believe me.
The words weren't spoken aloud, but they didn't need to be.
Just like when Lock healed the American Shorthair, the conviction in his eyes was enough.
"…Let's go," Kōgūyami said at last.
Kamui blinked, stunned.
But when his mentor retreated, he followed.
"Then—let's begin."
Lock looked down as the first Nomu charged—its purple skin dripping corrosive sludge.
It swung a sludge-coated fist right at him.
"Earth-Make: Iron Wall!"
Lock slammed his palm to the ground.
A magic circle flared—
—and a rock wall surged upward.
SSSSHHHHK—!
The sludge Nomu's fist struck the barrier, sizzling as it corroded the stone.
"So it's a corrosive-type."
Lock confirmed it immediately.
He flapped his dragon wings and shot upward, hovering in the air.
Below, the rest of the Nomu swarmed beneath him, scrambling and roaring, unable to reach him.
Mindless, irrational, zombie-like.
Except—
A slicing wind tore upward.
"Wind Blade!"
Two invisible blades cut through the air, aimed straight for him.
"Sky Dragon Wing Attack!"
Wind magic flowed along Lock's arms.
He swept them like wings—
—and deflected the incoming blades with a burst of air.
Lock narrowed his eyes.
"Winged Man? You survived?"
Hovering in the air, the Winged Man flapped a mismatched pair of wings—
one scorched and tattered from before,
The other newly grown and pale from the potion.
The quirk-strengthening drug had mutated him further.
"You forced my hand…"
A crazed smile spread across the villain's face.
"Now die with me!"
He dove forward, wings beating wildly.
"If I killed you once, I can kill you twice!"
Lock's fists ignited with heat—
—but the Winged Man suddenly disappeared, exploding into a cloud of scattered feathers.
"…He can enhance his quirk that much?"
Lock didn't panic. He'd already predicted a trick.
Behind him—
A feather shimmered into the villain's full form and kicked toward Lock's spine.
Lock raised an arm, caught the kick, and didn't budge.
With Armored Body active, even Iron Shark's hardened skin felt soft by comparison.
The Winged Man's eyes widened.
He dissolved into feathers again.
"Fire Dragon Roar!"
Lock inhaled deeply.
A fiery magic circle spun open in front of his mouth—
—and a storm of crimson flames erupted outward, sweeping across the swirling feathers.
The heat melted steel beams.
The factory's ceiling collapsed under the blast, leaving the sky fully open.
The Winged Man reappeared below—
collapsing to one knee, spitting blood.
His feathers were his body.
Each one burned meant real damage.
If only a few had fallen, he would have died to that roar.
But both wings on his back—
the ones the potion had barely restored—
were now completely charred away.
Lock looked down at him silently.
Once again—
The Winged Man had lost his wings.
This time, forever.
---
A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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