"Oh my god… what the hell happened to the League of Villains? How did Tomura Shigaraki become like this?"
Lock and Aizawa Shouta stood shoulder to shoulder. Neither of them moved to immediately clean up the remaining villains—instead, they were witnessing what could only be called the most shocking drama of the year.
Tomura Shigaraki had seized power.
He crushed Saru Yamamoto, threatened Kurogiri's life, and forcibly took control of the League's military strength.
When had Tomura Shigaraki become this aggressive?
While Lock was still deeply confused, figures began appearing from all directions as the scattered portals closed one after another.
Bakugo Katsuki.
Todoroki Shoto.
Midoriya Izuku.
Barug.
Jiro Kyoka.
After dealing with the villains in their respective zones, every student remembered one thing—
Aizawa-sensei went to the central pool area alone.
He hadn't chosen to escape.
He had gone to support them.
"Aizawa-sensei! You're okay—thank goodness!"
"Is everyone else all right?"
Aizawa Shouta looked around at the gathered students, relief washing over him. Including Hero No. 13—though for some inexplicable reason, there was also a pink-haired girl in a maid outfit mixed in.
Still, no one had suffered a fatal accident.
Everyone was here.
Safe.
That alone was enough to ease the tension in his chest.
"I'm gonna smash those guys flat—especially that black mist freak!"
"The enemy said the basis for killing All Might was a guy called Nomu."
Bakugo Katsuki was already itching to charge in. Todoroki Shoto calmly shared the intel he'd extracted from frozen and interrogated villains. Meanwhile, the rest of Class 1-A cooperated, using their Quirks to quickly suppress the remaining League members in the central area.
In no time at all, villains lay scattered across the ground.
Only Tomura Shigaraki, Kurogiri, the half-frozen Yamamoto Ape, and a handful of subordinates remained standing.
Everyone—including Aizawa Shouta—wore expressions of imminent victory.
Everyone except Lock.
Because he knew—
The real crisis hadn't even begun yet.
Suddenly, Kurogiri's warped mist expanded.
From within it, a massive figure emerged.
A pitch-black monster with an enormous, muscular body—its silhouette almost dinosaur-like.
Its exposed brain pulsed grotesquely.
[Sub-Quest Triggered: Defeat Nomu]
[Reward: One A-rank Lucky Draw]
"…Nomu."
Lock murmured under his breath as the system's cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind. An oppressive pressure followed immediately.
Class 1-A looked aggressive right now—but against Nomu's overwhelming physical disparity, they would be crushed in an instant.
So then—
Where was All Might?
Why hadn't he arrived yet?
In truth, when Yamamoto Ape and Kurogiri planned this invasion, they hadn't only considered Lock—a troublesome variable they'd tried to neutralize by dispatching the so-called Four Ninja Turtles.
They had also accounted for rapid Pro Hero reinforcement.
That was why they split off groups of disposable villains—to stall and delay heroes elsewhere.
Those minions were probably being cleaned up as they spoke.
But that delay was enough.
What the League of Villains never expected—
Was it that All Might had already exhausted his transformation time that morning?
He couldn't come to USJ to teach.
And when the alarms went off, he was momentarily held up by those lesser villains, missing the critical window to arrive immediately.
"…Forget it."
Lock shook his head, cutting off his thoughts.
"I just wanted to test whether I've reached that pseudo–ceiling-level strength anyway."
Nomu did bring pressure—but only a little.
From the system's evaluation alone, Lock could tell.
Defeating Nomu only granted an A-rank draw.
That meant even the system judged Nomu as nothing more than a troublesome-level opponent for him.
"I'll handle that new villain."
"Wait—Aizawa-sensei!"
Lock called out sharply, but it was already too late.
Aizawa Shouta had rushed forward, charging straight at Nomu.
Lock immediately activated auxiliary magic, layering buffs onto Aizawa's body to reduce the damage.
On the other side—
Nomu, originally under Kurogiri's command, now fell entirely under Tomura Shigaraki's control.
With a single mental order—
Nomu launched forward.
Like black lightning.
"—HA!?"
Aizawa's pupils shrank.
The monster had crossed the distance in a blink.
"Erase!"
His capture weapon snapped out as he locked eyes with Nomu's exposed brain, his Quirk activating instantly.
BANG!
Goggles shattered. Blood sprayed through the air.
Power.
Overwhelming, absolute power.
Like snapping a dry twig with bare hands.
Aizawa Shouta finally understood the meaning behind Lock's earlier warning.
Even with Nomu's Quirks erased—
The monster simply swung its arm with pure physical strength.
The capture weapon exploded apart.
Aizawa's body was sent flying, blood bursting from his wounds.
Among Pro Heroes, Aizawa Shouta stood firmly within the first tier.
But Nomu—
Was a pseudo–ceiling-level existence, already half a step beyond that boundary.
Between pseudo–ceiling and first-tier—
There was a gap so vast it could only be described as insurmountable.
"Aizawa-sensei!!"
Cries rang out in unison.
Faces turned pale.
They couldn't even see Nomu's movements.
The difference was overwhelming.
"Hahaha—!"
Tomura Shigaraki laughed maniacally.
"The weapon designed to fight All Might—Nomu! Use your body! Use your life!"
At that instant—
"Ice Style: Crampons!"
Two icy chains shot out from behind Lock.
Crampons were originally used to anchor movement and pull oneself forward—but in Lock's hands, they became a rescue tool.
Aizawa's flying body halted midair—
Then was violently yanked backward.
"Hero No. 13! Catch Aizawa-sensei!"
Lock shouted without turning his head. The throw wasn't reckless—its trajectory was perfectly calculated.
"I'll handle Nomu. Please protect Aizawa-sensei and my classmates!"
Lock stepped forward.
Facing Nomu head-on.
Nomu roared in fury.
Though it lacked intelligence, its instincts screamed one thing clearly—
The man before it had stolen its prey.
The air trembled.
The clash—
Was about to erupt.
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A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
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