For the first time in a very long while, Igarashi Masata felt real panic.
Ever since gaining his Quirk, he had never truly feared confronting villains head-on. His confidence came from elementalization. As long as he could transform into magma, defeat was nearly impossible. It was his ultimate safeguard.
And now—
That safeguard was gone.
"What's wrong?" Dabi sneered, flames swirling as he forced Tokoyami and Shoji back. He looked mockingly at Masata's reddened face, twisted from strain inside the Nomu's grip.
"Did you finally realize you can't use your Quirk anymore?"
"So in the end, you're just a brat who relied on power to do whatever he wanted," Dabi continued coldly. "This Nomu was created specifically for you. And you were proud of yourself?"
"…What?!"
Todoroki, Tokoyami, and Shoji were all stunned.
They had never imagined that the League of Villains would regard Masata so highly—high enough to design a special Nomu just to restrain him.
Only All Might had ever received that level of treatment.
Masata clenched his fists instinctively. He had assumed his failure to elementalize was his own mistake. He never expected it to be caused by this monster.
"Give up," Dabi said lazily. "This Nomu's Quirk nullifies the abilities of anyone it touches. Sounds familiar, right? After all, your homeroom teacher is the famous Eraser Head."
At that moment, Masata finally understood.
Earlier, his arm had transformed into magma, but after piercing the Nomu's skin, it reverted back to flesh. The heat faded, cooling into dark volcanic rock.
Not only that—
A freezing chill was spreading through his body.
The source was the Nomu gripping him.
"So it also has an ice-type ability…" Masata realized grimly. "It was really made just for me."
Unlike Aizawa's gaze-based nullification, this Quirk required physical contact. But that alone made it terrifying.
After all, almost every Hero relied on their Quirk in battle.
Including Masata.
And the added cold was meant to suppress his magma entirely.
It was the same meticulous planning the League had shown back at USJ.
Dabi smiled faintly.
"By the way… isn't there a girl in your class named Yaoyorozu Momo? You two seem pretty close. Childhood sweethearts?"
Seeing Masata completely restrained, Dabi lowered his guard. He was simply waiting for Nomu to drain him dry before finishing him off.
In the meantime, he decided to crush Masata's spirit.
"I heard Kurogiri released a lot of genetic beasts over there. I wonder if she's still alive."
"Should you go to hell first and wait for her… or should she follow you later?"
"Don't worry. She's one of our targets too. We won't let her escape."
He smiled brightly as he spoke, completely indifferent to Masata's reaction.
Nearby, Todoroki, Tokoyami, and Shoji desperately tried to attack.
But a man wrapped entirely in black cloth suddenly appeared and blocked them all.
He muttered constantly, arguing with himself.
"This kid's Quirk is kind of like yours, Dabi."
"No, that's nonsense! He uses ice too!"
"I like that crow-headed kid! Very stylish—wait, no, that's creepy!"
The contradictory voices all came from the same person.
Twice.
His Quirk allowed him to duplicate anything—objects, people, even himself.
Including villains.
The Dabi clone that once attacked Aizawa had been his creation.
However, his clones possessed independent minds. Over time, Twice had lost the ability to tell which version was real.
That fractured his personality.
Despite that, Twice was extremely dangerous in close combat. Combined with his endless chatter, he disrupted his enemies' focus completely.
Masata's arms were now bulging with veins.
He was holding on purely through years of physical training.
Ordinary Nomu couldn't overpower him like this.
But this one clearly had enhanced physical traits—likely mixed with animal genes.
Its strength was terrifying.
"Oh right," Dabi continued casually, "there's also Uraraka Ochaco. She lives with you, doesn't she?"
"Hahaha… you're really something. Wanting to be a Hero, yet being tangled with two girls at the same time. Isn't that a little irresponsible?"
"A Hero needs a good reputation, you know."
Masata's eyes widened.
The League knew far too much.
Even the shared living arrangements were supposed to be internal to U.A.
The fact that the League knew their location was deeply unsettling.
"I'll kill you…"
Masata's voice was hoarse.
Low.
Filled with rage.
His eyes turned bloodshot, like those of a wounded beast.
Anger surged through his chest.
Yaoyorozu Momo—who had been by his side for nearly ten years—was irreplaceable.
Uraraka Ochaco—who had only known him for a year—had brought warmth and laughter into his life.
And now—
They were in danger.
While he could do nothing.
This helplessness was something Masata had never experienced before.
It was unbearable.
Unforgivable.
His gaze locked onto Dabi.
It was as if molten lava flowed within his pupils, flames raging violently, crashing against Dabi's consciousness.
For the first time—
Dabi felt fear.
A primal, instinctive fear.
His expression froze.
His words stopped.
He unconsciously took a step back.
"Tch…"
He clicked his tongue.
"Whatever. Talking is useless now."
"Nomu."
"Kill him."