When the explosion erupted, everyone—Pro Heroes and bystander civilians alike—instinctively shielded themselves from the shockwave. The sheer brightness of the explosion lit up the entire area, forcing them to shield their eyes!
But eventually, the explosion subsided, and with it, the clouds of dust and debris.
Finally, they could see the aftermath of the masked hero's devastating attack.
"What the hell...?" muttered Death Arms, as he and the others stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding before them.
A small crater had formed in the heart of the ruined district, with debris scattered around its edges.
They were temporarily stunned, bewildered, and shocked by the destruction, but soon, the Pro Heroes snapped out of their daze.
"Hey! Go check on that rookie!" Death Arms commanded the other Pro Heroes.
Death Arms and a few Pro Heroes rushed toward the crater, while the others stayed put and focused on securing the perimeter of the aftermath.
Among those staying behind was Mount Lady, still attending to Katsuki, the former hostage of the sludge villain.
Katsuki herself... was still in a weakened state, barely holding on to consciousness, but... she tried to stand. She groaned as she struggled to push herself up from the ground, her legs trembling beneath her.
"Easy there, girl. You've been through a lot. You need to rest," Mount Lady said, gently but firmly pressing Katsuki back down with one hand.
But the young woman's voice, albeit weak and strained, broke through. "P-please... take me to... him..."
"Him?"
Mount Lady blinked, a bit confused for a moment by the blonde high schooler's request. However, she quickly realized her intention.
"No... you're in no condition—"
"I... I need to see him. Please..." Katsuki begged, her eyes looking up at Mount Lady's, filled with desperation.
Mount Lady hesitated, slightly taken aback by the blonde high schooler's resolve.
She glanced at the Pro Heroes rushing toward the crater. Then she looked back at the girl, still seeing the determination in her visage despite her weakened and fatigued state...
With a sigh... Mount Lady gave in to Katsuki's request, helping her to her feet.
"Alright. But don't push yourself too hard, okay?"
Katsuki nodded weakly, leaning against Mount Lady as they slowly made their way toward the crater, with every step a struggle for her battered body.
Meanwhile, for the Pro Heroes that had reached the crater, or to be more precise, what had become of the newcomer hero and the sludge villain...
A crater the size of two basketball courts and two stories deep had formed, right at the center of it...
Stood the green-masked hero. No injury, no scratch, no nothing. He was practically spotless, even though he'd endured the multitude of explosive attacks from the sludge villain and had been at the center of the explosion he himself had caused.
His metal-bug wings were gone, though, with only his white scarf floating about freely, as if caught by an invisible wind.
Of course, it wasn't just the masked hero standing in the crater—the sludge villain was also... there?
"Wait... who's that?"
Right in the middle of the crater... an unknown naked man lay on the ground, bruised and beaten, practically knocked out cold.
There was no presence whatsoever of the sludge villain or any trace of its sludge. It might have been there, but that explosion courtesy of the masked hero could have incinerated all of it.
And no one in their right mind would dare sneak into the battlefield that had raged between the newcomer hero and the sludge villain... especially not in their birthday suit. Which meant...
That naked man was most likely the sludge villain's actual 'humanoid' form.
The Pro Heroes were once again stunned and bewildered by the discovery, unsure of what to make of this strange predicament...
However, something even more surprising—and alarming—happened.
"Hold on, guys... what the hell is that...?!"
Black mist began to emerge from the unconscious naked man...! Even from a distance, they could sense that the dense, darkened mist was ominous—something malicious. To these seasoned Pro Heroes, that mist seemed like the essence of evil itself...
The green-masked hero then materialized something from his right hand: a glass vial. He pointed the vial toward the black mist...
"What the—?! What is he doing...?!"
Slowly, the vile darkened smoke was drawn into the small vial...! Eventually, all of the black mist disappeared, completely sucked and contained within the now purple vial. The hero then dematerialized the vial from his hand...
All of the Pro Heroes grew cautious at the actions of the masked "hero." Why would someone collect something so obviously malicious from the sludge villain...?
Death Arms was the first to act. He quickly leapt into the crater, clearly intent on questioning the newcomer!
"Death Arms!? Wait!"
The others quickly followed suit, jumping into the crater as well!
"Oi! Rookie!" Death Arms shouted with anger as he approached the center of the crater. "What the hell are you doing?!"
The masked "hero" slowly turned his body toward the approaching Pro Heroes, away from the 'humanoid' sludge villain.
"Hey, what was that mist?" one of the Pro Heroes that had approached him demanded, narrowing his eyes as he shifted between the masked hero and the 'humanoid' sludge villain on the ground.
No response.
Death Arms stepped closer, his voice intensifying. "What did you do to that sludge villain? Why are you collecting that stuff...?"
The masked hero didn't even flinch, his gaze shifting between them... unreadable.
"What's your hero identity anyway? What hero agency do you belong to?" Another Pro Hero pressed, growing impatient. "You better start explaining yourself...!"
Still nothing. The silence lingered, thick and unsettling...
Their wariness grew as the masked hero remained still, offering no answers.
"Hold on... you're some kind of vigilante, aren't you...?" Death Arms quickly deduced, his eyes narrowing further.
Again, no response.
"You are, aren't you...?!" Death Arms' voice boomed with frustration, his muscles tensing with every word.
The Pro Heroes took his silence as confirmation. They all braced themselves for the confrontation they dreaded...
"Surrender yourself to the authority, rookie...!" Death Arms bellowed, brandishing his muscular arms. "... or we won't hesitate to use brute force!"
The masked vigilante still didn't react to their supposed threat, seemingly not even considering them one. This only made the Pro Heroes more anxious... as they were fully aware of his strength after watching him defeat the sludge villain—a feat they themselves couldn't manage...
But then, the masked vigilante looked up—further away, past them. His gaze fixed on something behind them...!
Realizing the shift in attention, the Pro Heroes cautiously turned to look as well.
There, at the edge of the crater, stood Mount Lady... supporting a blond high school girl—the victim of the sludge villain!
"Mount Lady...?!"
"What is she doing?! Why is she bringing the victim of the villain alongside of her?!"
"Don't bring a civilian here! This place is still dangerous!"
They protested to the aspiring Pro Heroine, their voices rising with concern. They were unsure of her decision to bring the weakened victim to the center of what could become another confrontation.
On the other hand, the masked vigilante and the blonde high school girl...
They both locked eyes. The girl's gaze fixed on the red visor of his helmet... as they exchanged a silent conversation from a distance.
But suddenly, the masked vigilante began to fiddle with his white apparatus! He pushed down the top left trigger of it!
[IMAGI ARSENAL: METAL BLASTER!]
"What the—?!"
All of the Pro Heroes were shocked by the sudden robotic voce, quickly looking back at the masked vigilante! They saw how he'd materialized a cybernetic handgun in his right hand!
They all braced themselves, ready to anticipate the vigilante's would-be onslaught...!
But instead, the hero then materialized another object in his left hand!
A gray USB-like device, similar to his green-colored device that he'd used on his white apparatus. He then pressed the button on top of the device!
[FOG!]
It announced itself, stirring even more caution among the Pro Heroes...! The masked vigilante himself ignored their alarm as he inserted the small device into a small slot in his cybernetic firearm...!
[ARSENAL ACCESS! FOG!]
And quickly pressed the same button on the small device again sticking out from the firearm!
[ACCESS GRANTED! FOG ARSENAL STRIKE!]
The Pro Heroes stood poised, ready to intercept the masked vigilante at a moment's notice...!
But instead of pointing his firearm at them... the masked vigilante aimed it at the sky! And without warning, he pulled the trigger!
A heavy fog erupted from his handgun, quickly enveloping the entire crater! The thick, condensed smoke blinded all of the Pro Heroes, obscuring their view!
"What the hell?!"
"What is this fog?!"
"Everyone! Stay alert! He could be anywhere!"
But just as suddenly as it appeared, the heavy fog began to dissipate... along with the masked vigilante himself, leaving behind a stunned group of Pro Heroes... with the knocked-out-and-naked sludge villain sprawled on the ground.
Mount Lady and Katsuki watched as the Pro Heroes scrambled away, trying to find the whereabouts of the masked vigilante, to no avail.
Katsuki herself... contemplated the things she had witnessed and the revelations about the masked vigilante... and the aching feeling in her heart.
Meanwhile... hidden atop a nearby ruined building, The ghastly figure of All Might observed the unfolding chaos, his expression a mixture of concern and intrigue.
~~~~~
~~~~~
Author note (and shameless shilling as usual):
Finally, the fight between the Kamen Rider and The Sludge Villain is over...!
Damn, that took a while, honestly.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Of course, check out and subscribe to my:
P@treon(dot)com/demonkingakuma
Check out early access to this fanfiction of mine and of course for concept art for this fanfiction too!
And stay tuned for more~.