Ten minutes earlier—
Under the tense waiting of Masata and the others, Officer Tsukauchi, fully armed, finally entered the hall.
The moment he appeared, the heroes present understood that the rescue operation was about to begin.
"The overall situation should already be clear to everyone, so I won't repeat it," Tsukauchi said solemnly. "But there are several key points I must emphasize."
After a brief pause, he continued.
"According to our investigation, the location of the kidnapped student has been confirmed. We can also determine that the villains possess multiple bases."
"This time, rescuing Bakugo is our highest priority. At the same time, we will suppress and destroy the League of Villains' strongholds and strive to eliminate them completely!"
"The most important point—speed!"
Tsukauchi suddenly raised his voice and clenched his fist.
"No hesitation. No delay. We will not give the villains any time to react!"
"We asked UA's principal to release misleading information during the press conference to deceive the enemy and create the illusion that the school is weak and defenseless."
"After hearing those 'weak' speeches, the villains never imagined that today would be the day of our counterattack!"
"It's time to fight back—eye for an eye, tooth for tooth!"
"Turn defense into offense, heroes!"
As the heroes mobilized, Masata led the special operations team forward.
Their mission was clear: rescue Bakugo.
All Might and Endeavor were among the main force advancing toward the target.
"Hah… this operation is way too big. I'm getting nervous," Kirishima muttered, excitement flashing in his eyes.
"This isn't training anymore. It's a real hero mission."
"Calm down," Midoriya said helplessly. "We're probably going to face a tough fight."
"Enough talking," Masata said quietly from the front. "We're almost there."
Hearing him, everyone fell silent.
The police station was close to the bar.
Soon, they arrived at the target area.
The surrounding neighborhood was eerily quiet.
Lights were still on inside nearby houses, but they were merely decoys. The residents had already been evacuated.
"Is that the building?" All Might asked his assistant.
After receiving confirmation, he prepared to act.
But someone moved faster.
Masata had heard their conversation clearly.
Just as All Might began gathering power, Masata rushed forward.
"All Might, save your strength for later," he said with a confident smile. "Leave this to me!"
With a powerful leap, Masata soared into the air.
"Great Magma Blast!"
A gigantic lava arm formed in midair and smashed straight into the building's wall.
The entire structure shattered.
This was the origin of the earlier explosion.
Seeing this, All Might smiled faintly.
Perhaps… it really was time to leave the stage to the younger generation.
"Kurogiri! Open a portal—now!" Shigaraki shouted.
Reacting instantly, Kurogiri prepared to activate his Quirk.
But before he could, blazing magma surged toward him, forcing him to dodge.
Immediately afterward, heroes' attacks rained down, leaving him no time to escape.
"Vine Cage!"
Kamui Woods acted at once.
Wooden branches exploded from his arms, intertwining like massive roots and binding several League members.
"Hmph. That's all?"
Dabi stood among the villains.
His original leg had been destroyed by Masata earlier. Now he had replaced it with some unknown biological limb.
It looked strange, but it barely affected his movement.
Boom!
Blue flames erupted from his palms, burning away Kamui Woods' restraints.
Wood was naturally vulnerable to fire.
"I didn't expect you to still be this troublesome with a broken leg," Masata said coldly.
"Do I have to break all your limbs to make you behave?"
Without hesitation, Masata charged straight into the sea of blue flames.
The fire blocked Dabi's vision.
By the time he saw Masata emerge from the flames, it was already too late.
Crack!
The sound of bones breaking echoed clearly.
Dabi screamed in agony.
Masata's hand, coated in molten magma, seized Dabi's newly attached leg.
With a brutal kick, the artificial limb snapped apart.
"Igarashi Masata… it's you again!!!"
Dabi's calm expression vanished.
Only hatred and rage remained in his eyes.
But he could do nothing.
His Quirk was overwhelmed.
His physical strength was inferior.
Just by comparing their builds, it was obvious they weren't on the same level.
Ignoring Dabi's murderous glare, Masata slammed him against the wall.
Then, in a flash, he twisted Dabi's arms behind his back and pinned him down.
"So… you can't use your Quirk now, can you?" Masata asked coldly.
Both of Dabi's hands were forced inward.
If he released flames, he would burn himself first.
But Masata's concern was unnecessary.
Overwhelmed by pain, Dabi's head had already fallen to the side.
He had passed out.
"One down," Masata said calmly, dusting off his hands.
"Now…"
He turned toward the remaining villains, whose faces were filled with terror.
"Who's next?"
...
Hey everyone! Want to read ahead and unlock up to 100 early-access chapters? Plus, enjoy even more exclusive novels! Join my Patreon now and dive into the adventure!
patreon.com/Rawink00