"Oh my God… someone save that child!"
Seeing Bakugo Katsuki hanging high above the ground with one hand gripping Edge Shot and the other desperately clawing into the edge of the building, the female reporter from Heavy Industries News covered her mouth, tears filling her eyes.
It was simply too shocking.
Bakugo had literally carved five bloody claw marks into the side of the building with his bare fingers just to stop himself from falling.
And more importantly—
he was just a child.
A middle school student.
A thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy enduring pain and suffering no child his age should ever have to bear—
all because he had tried to save someone else.
How could that not shake people emotionally?
Especially for the reporter, whose maternal instincts were already overflowing.
Unfortunately—
she also knew very clearly that rushing over recklessly would not save him.
It would only get her swallowed by the distorted shopping mall as well.
And if she got unlucky and Bakugo lost his grip the moment she approached—
then her fate might be even worse than being swallowed into the alternate space.
At least if the mall consumed her, there might still be a chance to survive.
But if Bakugo smashed into her from fifty meters above—
she would instantly become a puddle of flesh.
Neither outcome was something she wanted.
Unable to bear watching Bakugo suffer like this, yet equally unable to think of any solution herself, the reporter instinctively turned toward her cameraman partner, hoping he might have an idea.
Or at least the courage to move a little closer.
Maybe then—
they could hear the boy's final words.
Maybe she could still do something for him.
Unfortunately, the cameraman immediately rejected the idea.
"No way."
"We can't get closer."
"That place is too dangerous."
"Did you already forget what happened to the hero earlier?"
"He disappeared the instant he approached!"
The cameraman understood exactly what she was thinking.
But he had no intention of risking his life.
After all, the shopping mall ahead was basically a monster.
Anyone who entered its range vanished instantly.
Heroes.
Police officers.
None of them could resist it.
And he had personally witnessed that happen with his own eyes earlier.
Sorry.
He simply did not possess that level of noble self-sacrifice.
He was not a hero.
Nor was he law enforcement.
He was just an ordinary cameraman.
And saving people—
that was supposed to be a hero's job.
Ordinary civilians rushing in recklessly would only create more chaos.
Hearing those words, the reporter fell silent.
She knew he was right.
But even so—
watching Bakugo suffer like this while being unable to help made her chest ache painfully.
Still, asking her partner to risk his life for a stranger was equally impossible for her.
Because Bakugo's life mattered.
But so did her partner's.
And right at that moment—
a sudden gust of wind swept across the rooftop.
The strong wind caused Bakugo's exhausted body to tremble uncontrollably.
His fingers slipped.
And the hand desperately gripping the edge of the building finally lost its hold.
Seeing this—
the cameraman closed his eyes painfully.
So did countless viewers watching the live broadcast.
Because nobody wanted to witness a child being smashed into bloody paste on live television.
Meanwhile, the female reporter nearly burst into tears.
"Someone help him!"
"Heroes! Where are the heroes?!"
"Isn't there a single hero willing to save that child?!"
Her voice had already become choked with sobs.
The cameraman beside her sighed softly.
"It's useless…"
"If there were heroes nearby, they would've acted already."
"There's no way heroes would just watch a child die."
"But sadly…"
"So much time has passed, and nobody came."
"That means there probably aren't any heroes here."
"And even worse…"
"There's nothing we can do."
"If we rush over recklessly, we'll just throw our own lives away too."
After a pause, he quietly added:
"Maybe all we can do now… is pray."
"Pray that some nearby hero watching this broadcast sees it in time."
"Pray that someone can save them before it's too late…"
But deep down—
the cameraman understood the truth better than anyone.
Even if another Pro Hero arrived right now, safely catching two people falling from such a height without worsening their injuries would still be incredibly difficult.
After all—
Bakugo and Edge Shot were basically falling like two meteors from the sky.
Unless the hero arriving was someone like the current No. 1 Hero—
the Symbol of Peace, All Might.
But that was impossible.
Because All Might himself was still trapped inside the distorted shopping mall.
…
Meanwhile, high above the city—
the moment that cold wind blew past him, Bakugo instinctively shivered.
And because of that tiny involuntary movement—
his hand slipped completely.
For the first time in his life—
Bakugo truly despaired.
Because of his weakness…
Edge Shot had been gravely injured trying to save him.
Because of his weakness…
All those civilians trapped inside the mall could only be left suffering while he stood helpless.
He hated himself.
Hated his own powerlessness.
If there was a next life—
then he would become stronger than anyone else.
Strong enough that something like this would never happen again.
Thinking this—
Bakugo slowly closed his eyes.
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