When the Pussycats arrived at the center of the riots, they found a huge, muscular, black Nemu whose exposed brain lacked eyes. It also possessed an impressively overwhelming super strength, leaving a squad of heroes around it unable to defeat it, as well as a rather terrifying super regeneration.
[Pixie-Bob, try to immobilize it. Tiger, Ragdoll, surround it and attack the moment it's trapped.] Quickly, Shino gave an order through telepathy, at the same time her Accomplice scaled a building. The others responded in a serious tone.
[[[Understood.]]]
From her elevated position on the building, Shino could see how Ryuko extended her arms toward the Nomu while sitting atop her Accomplice. This caused two metallic cables to shoot out from her waist, winding around the creature's chest and knees. Meanwhile, Tomoko and Chatora split up to attack from different flanks.
The moment the creature was immobilized, Tomoko and Chatora urged their Accomplices to speed up, closing in on the Nomu at an astonishing velocity as they readied their attacks. Chatora drew his right arm back as if it were made of rubber, simultaneously hardening it, while Tomoko's cat-like gloves began releasing terrifying electric arcs.
Just before they reached the Nomu, both Tomoko and Chatora dismissed their Accomplices, using the inertia of their movement to reach the monster. In that instant, they unleashed two powerful right punches in opposite directions. Chatora struck its face, while Tomoko struck its "liver", sending out a small shockwave that disturbed the air. At that moment, Shino gave a firm order.
[Don't stop attacking. It's not defeated yet, and Tomoko, use your electricity to prevent its regeneration!]
[[Understood.]]
Even as she responded, Tomoko and Chatora unleashed a relentless flurry of blows with all their might at an impressive speed, landing with great precision on the monster's critical points—liver, solar plexus, temples, and more. Their coordination was nearly impossible to believe, attacking fluidly and in perfect sync without interrupting or hindering each other for even a second.
While Tomoko and Chatora continued their barrage of punches, the concrete beneath them cracked open, releasing earth and metal rods that seemed to have minds of their own. They quickly wrapped around the Nomu's legs and then hardened to the extreme. After several minutes, Shino gave another telepathic order.
[It's ready! Chatora, capture it!]
[Understood.]
Hearing the leader's command, Chatora swiftly halted his punches and brought his right hand to her belt. From one of the compartments, he took out a perfectly rectangular piece of metal, which he quickly pressed against the Nomu's massive neck. The metal rectangle started to deform, covering the monster's entire neck and turning into a futuristic-looking choker.
"Heroes in the top 20 really are on a whole different level, it's astonishing…"
One of the heroes who had been struggling against the Nomu just moments before—a shirtless man with brown hair and huge horns on his head—commented in a tone of surprise and admiration. A blonde woman dressed in a green-and-white bodysuit with some sort of scarf tied around her neck spoke in a serious tone.
"It's not that everyone in the top 20 is this 'effective'. The Pussycats are special and recognized as the strongest hero group in Japan. Some even say they could beat Endeavor in a fight."
"Ho… I hadn't heard that rumor."
Right at that moment, a burst of flames landed nearby, and a deep, powerful voice rang in the heroes' ears, making their skin crawl as they exclaimed in surprise.
"Endeavor!!"
"Looks like the situation here is under control."
After casually nodding at the heroes, Endeavor spoke in a grim tone while surveying the destroyed surroundings. Heroes were helping evacuate victims and trying to extinguish fires. The flame hero couldn't help muttering to himself at that moment.
(Seems they don't need me. Should I go look for Shoto? He asked me to request backup, so I might as well head out.)
Without another word, Endeavor took off at high speed to follow the directions his proud son had given him moments before running off to supposedly help a friend, leaving a trail of flame in his wake. The people present looked a bit confused, but quickly returned to their tasks.
…
…
…
With the villain now injured, Momo began examining him closely. She noticed that he was very well-equipped: several knives along the sides of his abdomen and over his left shoulder. His flat face had no nose, and he wore a white mask, plus a red bandana on his forehead, along with a long strip of fabric around his neck like a scarf that reached almost down to his knees.
Compared to that, the villain's clothing was rather simple—he wore a sleeveless black sweatshirt and pants of the same color, while his black boots had metal guards and similarly metal knee pads.
"One after another… too many nuisances today!" The villain spat angrily while looking at the imposing armor before him. A slightly distorted feminine voice spoke with elegance.
[Mr. Villain, or maybe I should say Hero Killer? Either way, why not surrender and turn yourself in? It'll be easier on everyone.]
"Surrender? You're a funny girl. I have a duty to kill you all, so if we fight, of course the weaker will die." The Hero Killer, Stain, replied in a dark, heavy tone, staring at the armored girl with predator-like eyes. But the elegant female voice responded mockingly.
[Are you trying to scare me with that line? You should work a bit more on it. When Kai gets angry, he's much scarier than you are.]
As she spoke, Momo retracted the armor on her back, from which six small drones quickly formed. Three floated beside her while the other three stayed near Midoriya, Iida, and the injured hero.
"Stop! Yaoyorozu, take Midoriya and run! This has nothing to do with you!" At that moment, Iida shouted in a somewhat irate, deep voice, to which Momo responded seriously, no longer as gentle.
[Please be quiet, Iida-san. I'm a hero, and my job is to protect you. So stay silent and let me do my job.]
"Class Rep! Don't let him lick your blood! I think he controls his opponents by ingesting their blood!" In a hurried tone, Midoriya delivered the crucial piece of information as fast as he could. Momo smiled at that, answering calmly.
[Thanks for the info, 'Deku'.]
Just as Momo replied, the villain threw one of his knives at her face, which made her laugh inevitably, since it wouldn't leave a single scratch on her armor. But ever cautious, she dodged it anyway and then sent her drones to attack. The villain sprinted at high speed to stab her with his sword—but not everyone had Kai's capabilities. After dodging a few beams from the drones, the villain was finally struck in the leg by one of them, causing him to fall and roll on the ground.
Not wanting to give him any chance, she decided not to get closer. Instead, Momo deployed a small missile launcher from her right shoulder and fired a sort of mini-missile that hit the villain's neck directly, electrocuting him until he was unconscious. At that moment, she retracted the armor from her right hand, where another metallic collar formed—similar to the one she had given Nejire.
Approaching him, Momo held the collar in front of the villain's neck while aiming her free palm at him. The collar opened on its own and fastened around the villain's neck, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief before walking over to the injured. That was when she heard Iida's voice again.
"Why…?"
[You're asking why I saved you? If that's the case, it really makes me question how you're studying to become a hero, Iida-san. Of course, I saved you because I'm a hero.] Kneeling down next to the injured hero, Momo answered in a calm tone. The hero then thanked her in a low voice.
"Thank you very much for the help."
[No need to thank me, it's my job.]
While she made a couple of tourniquets for the hero using his own clothing, Momo responded with a slight smile, which went unseen beneath her helmet. Meanwhile, Iida remained silent, wearing a complicated expression.
"Thank you so much, Class Rep. I really thought Iida would die..." Midoriya added, at the same time, checking on Iida's condition on the ground. Momo shook her head in response.
[Don't worry about it, Deku. Rather, let me congratulate you for thinking so quickly. Sending that message with your location was very clever of you.]
"It was the first thing that came to mind. I'm glad it worked…" Midoriya replied in a shy tone, clearly relieved. That was when Todoroki arrived on the scene and spoke calmly.
"Looks like you all had a rough fight. I ran as fast as I could, but it seems I'm a bit late."
"Thank you so much for coming, Todoroki-kun!"
Noticing the arrival of the young man with half-and-half hair, Midoriya quickly thanked him, clearly moved that two of his classmates had rushed to his aid. Momo spoke in a calm tone while helping the badly injured hero to his feet.
[I heard you decided to train with your father, Todoroki-san. Congratulations.]
"Thank you, Class Rep. After that 'scolding', I did a lot of thinking and realized you were right. If I want to be a great hero and 'leave my mark on the world', I need to use all the resources at my disposal. Training under the Number Two hero is not something I can afford to pass up." Todoroki spoke in a tranquil tone, a grateful smile on his face as he looked at the girl in the armor. She nodded and congratulated him in a cheerful tone.
[Excellent decision, Todoroki-san. Though he may be a terrible father, he's a renowned hero, so you can take advantage of his worth and learn from him. It'll give your future career better prospects.]
"That's exactly what I intend to do." Todoroki said with a small smile, then turned his gaze to the unconscious villain on the ground, the injured hero, and Iida, prompting him to ask curiously.
"So I guess this is the 'Hero Killer'?"
"Yes. A very dangerous villain. If the Class Rep hadn't arrived in time, who knows what might have happened. He clearly intended to kill Iida-kun and the hero." Midoriya explained, his tone still tinged with lingering fear. Momo walked over to the unconscious Stain to pick him up, prompting Todoroki to look at Midoriya and ask in surprise.
"And he didn't want to kill you?"
"Yes. For some reason, he said he didn't want to kill me…" Midoriya replied, sounding somewhat uneasy. At that moment, a burst of flames landed in the area, and a deep voice echoed.
"What's the situation, Shoto?"
"The Hero Killer was attacking my classmates, but the situation's already under control." Todoroki quickly responded in a firm, deep tone, though with a hint of displeasure in his gaze—something Endeavor didn't seem to notice, his surprise being even greater—which led him to ask.
"You're sure it's the Hero Killer?"
"He's right there." Not wanting to say much more, Todoroki commented while pointing in Momo's direction—who was carrying the villain over her shoulder as if he were a sack of potatoes.
"Endeavor, I can confirm he really is the Hero Killer. He was terrifyingly strong and could control people by licking their blood."
The injured hero spoke in a serious tone, staring firmly at Endeavor, who could only nod while he took a long look at the imposing red-and-gold armor. It walked toward him, and a slightly distorted feminine voice was heard, serious and elegant, yet somewhat cold.
[Endeavor, since I still don't have my license, I can't take credit for capturing this villain. So, to avoid any complications, I'd like you to perform the capture yourself.]
***
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