Contrary to expectations, the moment Bakugo saw Masata walk over, his temper exploded even harder than his blasts.
"Magma bastard?! What the hell are you doing here? I don't need your help!"
Bakugo's hair practically stood on end. His expression was ferocious, and his pride was clearly taking the biggest hit of all.
"Well," Masata replied calmly, unfazed, "my main purpose isn't to help you. I'm here to deal with him."
As he spoke, Masata's gaze shifted toward the muscular man standing opposite them. Thick muscle fibers still writhed across the villain's exposed body, and the massive craters in the ground around them were clearly his handiwork.
Hearing Masata's words, Todoroki also turned his attention toward the enemy.
"So he's been shouting about killing some 'magma imp' since the beginning… that's you, isn't it?"
"Yeah, that's me," Masata answered casually. "Didn't he lose an arm earlier? I broke it."
He said it as if it were nothing. Now that the muscular man had been found again, there was no chance of escape this time. There was no second Nomu left to bail him out.
"So it was you…" Bakugo muttered darkly.
Only now did things start to make sense. Bakugo had been wondering why this monster was so absurdly strong—why even nonstop explosions and Todoroki's ice couldn't suppress him—yet somehow he'd lost an arm, and recently at that.
The reality had been brutal:
Bakugo: Die!
Muscular Man: You can't break my defense!
Todoroki: Freeze together with me!
Muscular Man: Shatter!
The fight had been nothing but frustration.
Now, Masata finally cracked his neck, glanced up at the blade-wielding figure suspended in the air, then looked back at the muscular man whose expression had grown increasingly ugly.
"Well then," Masata said lightly, "which one of you wants to die first? Or… both at once?"
"Hahahaha! More people? Great!"
The airborne villain burst into manic laughter. "More meat! More fresh flesh! More screams!"
Unlike the muscular man—who was already showing signs of retreat—the figure attacking from above was overflowing with madness. The killing intent in his laughter sent chills down the spine.
Masata finally took a proper look at him.
This villain's code name was Spike.
At the moment, Spike was suspended in midair by a razor-sharp blade extending from his mouth. Following the blade back revealed its horrifying source—it was formed from his teeth.
Spike wore a tight leather bodysuit that covered his entire body, including his head, leaving only his mouth exposed. The sight was deeply unsettling.
"Does this guy have some kind of weird fetish?" Masata muttered. "Isn't that suffocating?"
His tone carried faint disgust. Honestly, none of the League of Villains members he'd encountered so far could be called normal.
The poisonous junior high student had been delusional and talkative.
The muscular man was pathologically self-centered.
Magne and Spinner had rushed in and been instantly defeated.
Himiko Toga was outright unhinged.
And now this one looked like a hardcore masochist.
Add in their leader—Shigaraki, who looked like a decaying man-child—and the League really did seem like a gathering place for lunatics.
Kurogiri really has it rough, Masata thought.
"Don't underestimate him," Todoroki warned quickly. "He uses terrain extremely well. The most troublesome part is his combat experience—he knows how to fully exploit his Quirk."
Before Masata could respond, Spike attacked.
"Let me taste your flesh!!!"
The blade extending from his mouth shot outward, splitting again and again, branching rapidly until it formed an airtight web of razor-sharp edges that descended from the sky.
"Incoming!" Tokoyami shouted from behind.
Even Bakugo wiped the arrogance from his face. This was not an attack to take lightly.
Only Masata remained relaxed.
A faint smile tugged at his lips, almost mocking Spike's confidence.
"Flame Manifestation."
With a single motion, Masata pushed Bakugo and Todoroki aside.
A colossal magma giant erupted into existence once more—nearly twenty meters tall. Spike's attack suddenly fell short, the blade net striking only the giant's chest.
"Hiss—?!"
The blades were completely blocked by the magma construct.
Spike froze in disbelief. His Quirk had never failed him before—those blades could cut through steel with ease.
Then he noticed something far worse.
Under the intense heat, his blades were rapidly degrading. Pits formed along their edges, black smoke rising as the metal-like substance was eaten away by magma.
"You freak who hides behind tricks," Masata's voice boomed from within the giant, "stay down."
A massive magma palm rose high into the air—then slammed downward.
The pressure alone bent the surrounding trees sideways.
Spike struggled desperately, trying to retreat—but his blade was firmly embedded in the magma giant's body. No matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn't budge.
The enormous palm filled his vision.
BOOM!
Like swatting an insect, the magma hand smashed Spike straight into the ground, carving out a massive crater. His blade shattered into fragments at the same instant.
Spike's eyes rolled back, foam spilling from his mouth. He still twitched, trying to rise.
Masata frowned within the magma giant and brought his palm down again.
BOOM!
The crater flooded with molten magma. Under the searing heat, Spike finally lost consciousness completely.
Masata pinched the limp body between his fingers and tossed him toward Todoroki.
"Cool him down," Masata said, dismissing the magma construct. "Just don't freeze him to death."
He smiled—what he believed to be a friendly smile.
But to the muscular man watching from the side, that smile looked like an invitation straight from hell.