"Kid, you're pretty good!"
"....."
The Hero Killer, who had rolled away from the steel wire net, turned to prepare for battle and praised the black-haired boy, but Midoriya didn't respond.
Steel wires extended from his fingers, and Midoriya got into a combat stance, staring at the Hero Killer Stain. The previous exchange made him realize that this enemy was indeed very strong, with top-notch physical skills.
Midoriya is fully qualified to comment on the aspect of close combat. He had trained his body continuously since childhood and later learned martial arts like Bajiquan. Close combat was one of his strengths.
The most objective example was the U.A. Sports Festival. Todoroki Shoto didn't dare let Midoriya get close, knowing that once Midoriya got close, he would be taken down in less than a second.
Now facing the Hero Killer Stain, Midoriya was angry at his actions but didn't blindly charge in. He carefully analyzed the enemy.
Midoriya considered his own disadvantages. He had stood out in the Sports Festival, and his fighting style and tactics were well-known. The Hero Killer knew he had no Quirk and fought using only equipment.
As for the Hero Killer, Midoriya didn't know his Quirk, but he quickly analyzed his equipment: blades, shurikens, strong close combat skills... these obvious traits gave him the answer.
Midoriya's brain worked rapidly, drawing conclusions from the knowledge he had recorded. The Hero Killer's Quirk was likely related to the wounds he inflicted.
Wounds that couldn't heal?
Unstoppable bleeding?
Or maybe a poison that caused instant death when cut?
Midoriya couldn't determine the Hero Killer Stain's Quirk, but he knew one thing for sure: he must not let his blade cut him.
In that case, let's use a long-range attack to capture the Hero Killer.
Midoriya quietly reached behind him and took out a small white ball from his tool bag. As he held it, the steel wire in his glove embedded into the ball's pre-made slot.
"Thanks for the inspiration, Mineta."
Mineta Minoru from Hero Class A, nicknamed Grape Juice, has a Quirk that produces sticky and elastic black balls from his head.
Based on his Quirk, Midoriya developed a tool with similar abilities, though not as sticky as the original.
After embedding the steel wire into the white ball, Midoriya focused on the Hero Killer, ready to make his move.
Midoriya aimed and threw the white ball at the Hero Killer, with the steel wire extending from his glove following the ball's path.
"This little trick?"
As expected, the Hero Killer Stain felt underestimated. He blocked the ball with his blade, causing it to bounce away.
"Something's wrong!?"
Stain realized the problem. The steel wire was connected to his blade, and the white ball bounced off the wall, landing behind him and bouncing again.
In the narrow alley, the white ball hit the opposite wall and bounced a fourth time.
Meanwhile, Midoriya prepared his next move, with the steel wire in his other hand ready.
On the fourth bounce, the small white ball landed in front of the Hero Killer.
Before it hit the ground, Midoriya's steel wire shot out, connecting to the ball.
In an instant, Midoriya pulled the wire, disarming the Hero Killer and wrapping him in the steel wire.
"Simple geometry!"
Midoriya's white ball had four layers, each leaving a sticky shell and steel wire with each bounce.
Designed for narrow spaces, the white ball was a tool Midoriya created for such situations.
The rapidly retracting steel wire tightly bound the Hero Killer, capturing him.
"Don't move, or you'll hurt yourself!"
The steel wire and the Hero Killer's blade pressed against his chest, making any struggle dangerous.
"Impressive, but too naive!"
"What!?"
The steel wire snapped, and Stain lunged at Midoriya with his short blades.
Stain wasn't blind. He noticed something was wrong the moment he saw the steel wire connected to his weapon. Although Midoriya's movements were very fast, it only took two seconds for the white ball to bounce back and connect with the steel wire, but that was enough time for Stain to react.
The "Hero Killer" Stain, besides his usual long blade, also had short blades on his waist. When Midoriya's steel wire retracted, Stain held the short blades in a reverse grip with both hands.
When the steel wire tightly bound Stain, he crossed his hands like scissors. Although Midoriya's steel wire was tough, it broke under the pressure of the two blades acting like scissors.
In an instant, the situation changed dramatically. Although Midoriya was alarmed, he didn't lose his composure and charged directly at the "Hero Killer" Stain.
Turning and retreating would be foolish, as the enemy would throw weapons at his back. There wasn't enough time to retract and release the steel wire from his gloves, and he couldn't use the "King of Storms" for a lethal attack, so he went for a close-range strike!
In a split second, the two met. The "Hero Killer" Stain thrust his right-hand blade at Midoriya, but it was blocked, or rather, entangled!
Although the steel wire from his gloves couldn't retract, Midoriya skillfully used the web of steel wire to entangle Stain's right-hand blade, preventing it from injuring him.
But that was just one hand. Stain's left-hand blade, held in a reverse grip, aimed at Midoriya's abdomen, cutting swiftly and fiercely.
However, it was blocked again... Midoriya's right elbow struck down while his knee kicked up, firmly pinning Stain's close-range lethal attack.
In a moment of surprise, the "Hero Killer" Stain didn't expect the black-haired boy in front of him to be so skilled in close combat. This lapse allowed Midoriya to seize the opportunity for a counterattack.
"Bajiquan: Hammer"
Although Midoriya's specialty was the Iron Mountain Lean, it didn't mean he hadn't learned other Bajiquan moves. The power might not be as strong as his ultimate move, but it was still effective.
With his right elbow pinning the short blade along with his knee, Midoriya's right fist swung and struck Stain's chest. Although the punch wasn't very powerful, it made Stain stagger back a few steps, giving Midoriya a chance to create some distance.
Clutching his slightly aching chest, the "Hero Killer" Stain stared at Midoriya and slowly said:
"Kid, I take back what I said. You're not a novice at all!"
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