Heavy smoke rose ominously into the sky, dark and suffocating, while flames licked the remains of the many destroyed storefronts that once belonged to the locals of Musutafu.
The once-bustling area was now a landscape of destruction, with debris scattered everywhere, the aftermath of violent explosions that had torn through the heart of this famous district.
Crowds of onlookers and passersby had gathered at the edges of the ruined shopping district, their faces filled with a mix of fear... and morbid curiosity. Despite the danger that persisted in this place... they couldn't tear their eyes away from the devastation before them.
Among the chaos, a few pro heroes were already on the scene.
They were working tirelessly to contain the raging fires, directing streams of water at the inferno, while others were guiding and rescuing civilians to safety, shielding them from the fires... and the explosions—!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"Kyaah!"
"Watch out!"
"Stay back, citizens!"
Screams of terror erupted from the crowd as another series of explosions occurred right in the middle of the ruined district. Several of the pro heroes were already intercepting this new wave of destruction... fighting whoever was responsible for causing this chaos—!
Both All Might and Izuku strained their eyes to see who these pro heroes were battling from a distance. It took a moment for them to make out the scene, not just because of the heavy smoke and fiery flames, but because the crowds were blocking their view. But...
They managed to see it.
In the midst of the wreckage, right in the center of the destroyed shopping district, stood the culprit.
A figure... clad in ominous dark green full armor...! The armor covered and enveloped the supposed villain from head to toe, hiding their identity away, but... the armor itself bore the semblance of feminine curves, indicating that whoever this person was, they were most likely an adult woman...
But the most striking feature was the helmet of the armor itself.
All Might and Izuku had to squint to see it clearly... but they quickly recognized it within seconds!
"That face...!" All Might uttered in shock, his voice mirroring the stunned expression on Izuku's face as they both recognized the grotesque shape of the helmet belonging to this villain.
It was the grotesque face of the Sludge Villain—the same villain they had both encountered previously in the tunnel under the bridge...!
The armored villain stood menacingly amidst the chaos it had seemingly created, a twisted figure of destruction with the Sludge Villain's grotesque, grinning expression etched across its helmet.
As the pro heroes closed in on it, the armored villain's body began to shift and morph—!
Dark sludges seeped out from the gaps in its armor... the same disgustingly familiar sludges snaking around the debris-strewn ruins like living tendrils...!
"Stay back!" one of the heroes shouted in warning, but it was too late—!
With a swift motion, the villain extended the sludges from its body, lashing out with terrifying speed!
"Gah!" The pained echoes of the pro heroes filled the air as many of the tendrils struck, pushed, and swiped them away from where the sludge-armored villain stood...!
The dark, viscous mass wrapped around the legs of one still-standing pro hero, pulling them off balance—!
"Ah?! Let me go!"
...and slammed them into the rubble! The hero was knocked out instantly and fell to the ground as the tendrils finally released their grip.
Another hero attempted to cut through the tendrils with a blade, but the amorphous substance simply reformed back to its original shape, showing no sign of damage...!
"This is definitely that sludge...!" All Might confirmed dreadfully upon witnessing the sludge-armored villain's ability.
"But how did it grow this strong...?" He questioned as he further inspected the difference between the sludge villain he had once defeated and captured, and the current female-like armored form that was now causing this mayhem and destruction.
All Might couldn't comprehend how it had managed to recover and become even stronger than before...
However, Izuku was the only one who knew the reason behind its newfound strength as he watched the rampage that this sludge-armored villain was causing with growing concern.
Deep inside, he wanted to do something about this villain—it was the one he had been searching for... but, right now, there were too many witnesses—too many prying eyes.
So, for now, he and All Might could only watch as the pro heroes struggled against the relentless assault, each sludge strike pushing them further back.
But the villain wasn't done yet—!
With a menacing crackle, the armored figure raised both of its hands, the dark green sludge gauntlets glowing with an eerie, pulsating light...!
The air around the villain seemed to hum with an equally eerie energy...
As the villain suddenly unleashed a powerful explosion from its hands, sending shockwaves through the district!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The blast tore through the streets, hurling debris in all directions!
Several of the heroes were thrown back, crashing into nearby walls and storefronts as they struggled to shield themselves from the onslaught!
The sheer force of the explosion left the ground around the villain scorched, with more heavy smoke and flames rising even higher into the sky...!
"She's too strong...!" one of the pro heroes facing the sludge-armored villain muttered under their breath, struggling to get back on their feet.
Meanwhile... All Might's eyes widened in disbelief as he witnessed the unexpected display of power.
"Explosions...?!" he muttered with his voice laced with shock.
He had not thought that the sludge villain could develop a new ability like this...!
'How... how did it gain such power...?!' The thought raced through his mind, further deepening his concern and dread over the situation.
But... the villain's onslaught was not over yet... as the dark sludge began moving to ensnare another hero, pulling them into the flames.
"No! Let me go!!!" the female hero screamed in terror as the villain continued pulling her closer...!
All Might clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing in rage as he took in the scene, but... his frail body shook in pain, dreadfully reminding him of his weakened condition...
"D-damn it...!" he cursed, frustration evident in his frail, ghostly visage. Blood even poured out of his mouth as his body kept rejecting his will.
He was angry and frustrated at his weakened self that simply refused to act when needed the most...
However, something unexpected happened—!
The villain's wild sludges suddenly stopped their rampage! They fell to the ground as if they had lost their will and simply died...!
The heroine who had been dragged into the sludge gratefully pulled herself away toward the safety of the other pro heroes.
Everyone witnessing this though became confused by the villain's sudden... hesitation, and they all turned their gaze toward the villain itself...
The villain... it was jittering and convulsing as if the very armor it wore was fighting against it...!
Then it did something even more unexpected—!
It raised both of its arms...! All the witnesses dreadfully anticipated that it would unleash another explosion... but it didn't.
Instead... the villain began to claw and pull at its grotesque helmet!
Of course, everyone became even more confused and also shocked by the villain's apparent struggle, as if... it was rejecting the very armor it had donned...!
It continued to claw and pull the sludge off its body... until finally revealing the face under the armor...!
A young blond woman!