Hawks' confidence was not without reason—he truly possessed the strength to back it up. As the No. 3 Hero in Japan, his reputation stood at the very peak of the Hero world. Hearing such bold words from him only further excited the reporters.
One of them quickly asked, "Since the Wing Hero is so confident, you must already have complete assurance. What do you think about the other two Heroes who accepted the same commission?"
Hawks laughed lightly.
"They probably won't even get the chance to see Shina Etsuha. Let's leave it at that. I heard he's nearby. I don't mind interviews, but delaying work is a headache. We'll continue this next time—after I've defeated him."
With that, he flapped his wings and shot into the sky.
"So cool…"
The reporters below stared up in admiration.
They didn't know the full truth behind the operation against Shina Etsuha. To them, he was simply a U.A. student who had defected. But that alone was enough to create a sensational story. In today's society, "Heroes defeating evil" was the most popular narrative. No matter who the villain used to be, once labeled evil, they were seen as unforgivable.
Most of the reporters began to disperse, but a few more perceptive individuals remained, watching Hawks disappear into the distance with thoughtful expressions.
"Wait… live coverage of a Hero battle has always been popular, right?" one of them said.
"Hm?"
The others looked at him, confused.
"Say more!" a director-like figure urged, his eyes lighting up.
This group wasn't just ordinary reporters—they were part of a TV program team that specialized in documenting Hero activities. It sounded ordinary, but in a world dominated by Heroes, such shows were incredibly popular. Many people idolized specific Heroes, and anything related to them drew massive attention.
However, the program had recently hit a bottleneck. Not every Hero incident was exciting enough to captivate audiences, and their ratings had begun to decline. If they didn't find something compelling soon, their situation would only worsen.
"Since the Wing Hero is so confident," the reporter continued, "why don't we follow him? If we're lucky, we might capture a rare battle scene. We could even switch to a live broadcast mid-fight. Imagine it—Heroes defeating a Villain in real time. The ratings would skyrocket!"
The idea was simple—but the opportunity was rare.
Usually, when Heroes defeated Villains, there were no reporters present. Over time, such footage had become extremely scarce. The moment he pointed it out, the entire team became excited.
"That's true! He just flew west—let's drive after him! If we catch up, we might get something incredible!"
Although Hawks' flying speed far exceeded theirs, the team still had a vehicle. Even if they couldn't keep up directly, as long as a battle broke out, they could rush to the scene in time.
Having made their decision, they quickly got into their car and set off.
…
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Shina Etsuha had already moved to a more remote location after defeating Ranbo (Chaos Shoulder).
It wasn't that he couldn't handle the members of the Shie Hassaikai. He simply didn't want to cross paths with Heroes right now.
Because he wasn't sure… if he could stop himself from killing them.
Etsuha's state of mind was complicated.
The events from that day still lingered vividly in his memory. He had always known that darkness existed within human nature—even among Heroes. But knowing it and witnessing it firsthand were two entirely different things.
On the surface, he remained calm and expressionless.
But deep inside, there was a growing irritation.
Killing that so-called "death nemesis" had been the clearest sign of it.
He didn't believe he had done anything wrong. To him, that person was no different from a Villain. Killing him had felt justified.
But what about the others?
Heroes weren't all the same. Some had darkness within them—like Endeavor—while others embodied genuine righteousness, like All Might.
Under such circumstances, Etsuha couldn't predict how he would react if confronted again.
Would he kill?
Or would he hold back?
Even he didn't know.
He wasn't the kind of person who would become a mindless killer just because he had been betrayed. If he started slaughtering every Hero he saw, it would only prove that his heart was fragile—and false.
After all…
His own sister was a Hero.
Even if she was greedy and far from perfect, she still stepped forward to protect others when it truly mattered.
And beyond her, there were people like Shota Aizawa—individuals Etsuha genuinely respected.
If someone like them came to capture him… could he really kill them?
The answer was obvious.
No.
And that was the source of his turmoil.
The world had forced him to confront a harsh truth—good and evil weren't divided simply by "Hero" and "Villain." Heroes could be corrupt. Villains could still have humanity.
Even someone like himself…
might be considered a "good person" among criminals.
In such a world, how could he clearly distinguish right from wrong?
Especially when it came to Heroes.
That was why, earlier, when he sensed a Hero approaching, he chose to leave immediately after using his finishing move—rather than risk killing someone who didn't deserve it.
"What should be killed… and what shouldn't?"
Etsuha muttered to himself, caught in deep conflict.
It was a question worth thinking about.
At that moment—
A figure with wings cut across the sky above him.