"Ice…?"
The moment Hawks saw the shield in Shina Etsuha's hand, he froze for an instant. Then, as he gauged the distance between them, his expression darkened.
This range… was dangerous.
"Strike first!"
Without hesitation, he gave the command.
Thousands of feathers trembled in the air—then, in the next instant, many of them broke the sound barrier. A series of muffled sonic bursts erupted as they shot forward at terrifying speed.
This was no longer something the human eye could follow.
Countless feathers now moved faster than sound itself, slicing toward Etsuha. Even the slightest delay in reaction would result in being shredded apart.
But for Etsuha—
This speed still couldn't escape the perception of his Sharingan.
"Freeze."
A cold, commanding voice echoed.
An icy blue glow radiated from Etsuha's eyes. Starting from beneath his feet, frost spread across the ground in an instant—expanding outward for hundreds of meters.
The frozen earth seemed alive.
Towering icicles surged upward one after another, piercing toward the sky.
Rumble!
The icicles intertwined, forming an immense, reinforced ice wall.
Hawks' feathers slammed into it—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Violent explosions erupted across the surface of the wall, sending shards of ice flying in all directions. Yet under Etsuha's control, the shattered sections instantly reformed, sealing themselves again almost faster than they were destroyed.
In the blink of an eye—
Every single feather was frozen solid.
"No way…?!"
Hawks' expression changed drastically.
He tried to regain control of his feathers—but to his shock, they were completely locked in place by the surrounding ice.
If he forced control, he would have to move not just the feathers—but the massive chunks of ice encasing them.
The mental strain alone would make it impossible to manipulate more than a handful.
In an instant—
The momentum of the battle shifted entirely into Etsuha's hands.
…No.
There was still one chance.
Hawks spread one wing, gathering the last few free feathers before him.
If he focused everything—if he poured all his Quirk power into a single strike—he could shatter the ice field in one blow.
This was his only opening.
"I'm sorry!"
Hawks shouted sharply. The feathers before him glowed with a cold, cutting light as he prepared to unleash everything.
But the moment he lifted his head—
He met Etsuha's gaze.
A pair of blood-red eyes.
Emotionless.
Unfathomable.
Eye contact.
Hawks' heart lurched violently.
A warning flashed through his mind—the line written in bold within the intel:
Never look into his eyes.
What would happen if he did?
In the next instant—
He understood.
His consciousness blurred.
His vision wavered.
The feathers around him fell limply to the ground.
Hypnosis.
But Hawks was still Hawks.
Within a heartbeat, he forcibly snapped back to reality—
Only to find—
Etsuha was gone.
"Checkmate."
Etsuha's voice sounded from behind him.
"I win."
Before Hawks could react—
A merciless kick struck him squarely.
His organs felt like they were being crushed. The violent force compressed his body so intensely that he could feel the contents of his stomach surge upward, bursting out of his mouth in midair.
Then—
He slammed into the ground like a falling meteor.
BOOM!
The frozen ground shattered on impact.
Hawks coughed up blood as he hit for the second time, his vision spinning uncontrollably.
What… just happened?
Wasn't he supposed to be hunting a runaway student from U.A.?
What kind of monster was this?
Before he could even process it—
Etsuha appeared in front of him again.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
His right fist clenched—
And drove straight into Hawks' chest.
BOOM—!!
The surrounding ice cracked and lifted under the impact. Dust burst upward through the frozen ground, forming a curtain of debris.
A sickening crack echoed.
At least three of Hawks' ribs shattered instantly.
"Ha…!"
Behind them, the camera crew stood frozen in shock.
"H-Hawks… was defeated?"
The cameraman's voice trembled.
"That's… the No. 3 Hero… He said he alone would be enough for Shina Etsuha… and now…"
The director's face turned pale.
From beginning to end, Etsuha's age had misled them completely. They had assumed he was just another fugitive—someone who would be effortlessly subdued by top-tier Heroes.
No one—
Not a single person—
Had expected this outcome.
The entire battle had ended in mere seconds.
A flash of movement—
And Hawks was already defeated.
On the livestream—
The chat exploded.
"WHAT DID I JUST SEE?!"
"How many Quirks does he have?! That's at least TWO!"
"The No. 3 Hero got crushed!!"
"Who the hell IS this guy?!"
"That was basically a one-sided kill—this is insane!!"
The internet erupted into chaos.
For years, under the era shaped by peace and heroes, the public had never witnessed a criminal of this level.
Etsuha didn't look monstrous.
He didn't act crazed.
But with ruthless, overwhelming force—
He had defeated the Winged Hero without hesitation.
Links to the livestream spread like wildfire.
Clips were recorded and uploaded across platforms.
Within minutes—
The entire internet was boiling.
..
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