…Thud.
As the Muscle Killer's body collapsed stiffly to the ground, the entire area fell into a deathly silence.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then, slowly, someone came back to their senses.
"That… that Muscle Killer… was defeated?"
"In less than a minute…?"
"Etsuha won…!"
"He actually won…!"
Even Death Arms' voice trembled as he stared at Shina Etsuha, his mind replaying the battle over and over again.
Fast. Precise. Lethal.
Every single movement had been flawless.
From beginning to end, the Muscle Killer hadn't even managed to touch Etsuha's clothes. Every attack had been effortlessly neutralized.
It was a completely one-sided victory.
At that level, even Death Arms couldn't help but feel a sense of inadequacy. If he had been the one facing Etsuha instead of the villain… his fate might not have been any better.
Didn't that mean—
Etsuha's strength was already comparable to a Pro Hero?
The thought struck him like lightning.
So where was this so-called quirkless boy everyone talked about?
This was no ordinary kid.
This was a genius.
As if sensing his gaze, Etsuha turned his head and glanced back, his expression relaxed.
"Uncle, that villain didn't seem all that strong."
"…Not that strong?"
Death Arms felt like he'd just taken another punch to the gut.
If that opponent wasn't strong, then what did that make him?
For a moment, his teeth ground together in frustration—but there was nothing he could say in response.
Just then—
A thick branch shot through the air, wrapping itself around a nearby utility pole. The bark was dark brown, the movement flexible and controlled. In the next instant, a masked Pro Hero swung down along the branch and landed gracefully.
It was the rising star among Pro Heroes—
Kamui Woods.
"Where's the criminal?! Is anyone injured?!" he called out urgently.
He had been among the first to receive the alert, but traffic had delayed his arrival. According to the report, the criminal who had fled to this area—the Muscle Killer—was an extremely dangerous villain. With only Death Arms and a few others present, things could easily have escalated into a disaster.
Kamui Woods had come prepared for the worst.
But the moment he arrived in Tanshoin Town, his heart sank.
The scene was a mess.
Half the supermarket wall had been destroyed, and massive ice spikes protruded from the ground and structures nearby. The sheer scale of the damage made his expression grow serious.
Could it be… there was more than one villain?
Before he could think further, Death Arms stepped forward and stopped him.
"The Muscle Killer's already been taken down. Situation's under control."
"…Huh?"
Kamui Woods blinked in confusion.
Taken down?
By whom?
Had Death Arms somehow made a huge leap in strength?
With that thought, he turned to him with admiration.
"I didn't expect you to improve this much. Taking down a villain like that is no small feat."
"Haha… I'm not that strong," Death Arms replied, laughing awkwardly.
"Then… was it someone else? A top-tier Pro Hero?" Kamui Woods' mind immediately jumped to several well-known names, and his expression grew even more respectful.
"No," Death Arms said, placing a hand on Etsuha's shoulder. "It was this kid."
"…Etsuha?"
Kamui Woods froze for a moment.
He had graduated in the same class as Yu Takeyama and was familiar with her younger brother. When he first saw Etsuha here, he had assumed Yu Takeyama must have already handled the situation.
But now—
He looked at Etsuha again, his eyes widening.
"Wait… you're saying he defeated the Muscle Killer? The same villain who could kill Pro Heroes?"
Death Arms nodded helplessly.
"…Yeah. That's him."
"…But isn't he quirkless?!"
Kamui Woods felt like his entire understanding of the world had just been shaken.
This kid… this middle schooler… was that strong?
"Uncle! How many times do I have to say it?" Etsuha cut in, sounding slightly annoyed. "I'm not quirkless. I just have a hidden quirk. Don't mix it up, okay?"
Back when he first realized his ability, Etsuha had told Yu Takeyama the same thing—that his quirk hadn't been absent, just dormant. At the time, many Heroes had been present… and most of them had laughed it off as childish imagination.
Kamui Woods had been one of them.
Now, hearing Etsuha say it again, he suddenly remembered.
"…A hidden quirk…" he muttered, stunned.
Normally, quirks that awakened late came with drawbacks. The body often couldn't handle the sudden power, leading to instability or self-harm.
But Etsuha clearly didn't have that problem.
He had just awakened his quirk—and already defeated a high-level villain.
This level of talent was almost unimaginable.
It was something unprecedented.
After a brief silence, Kamui Woods spoke again.
"Etsuha… how about joining my agency after you graduate from U.A.?"
Etsuha didn't even hesitate.
"I'm obviously joining my sister's agency, Uncle."
"I'm your senior, not your uncle!" Kamui Woods shot back immediately.