A breeze passed by, and a few crows cawed in the air as the arrogance on Wolfram's face suddenly froze.
"Idiot."
Kaminari stood up unsteadily, looked at Wolfram with disdain, and said, "The machine on your head is busted. Go find someone to fix it!"
The massive shockwave had not only flattened the battlefield and stunned everyone, but had also damaged the Quirk Amplification Device on Wolfram's head.
"Damn it… damn it!!"
Wolfram clutched his forehead in disbelief, then slammed his hands against the ground in a frenzy, shouting furiously, "Then you'll die too!"
Ga! Ga! Ga! Ga! Ga!
Still, nothing happened. Kaminari wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, shook his head helplessly, and sighed, "What exactly did that blast do to you?"
"Look carefully, there are still steel plates on the ground you can control. Didn't you integrate them into that giant Iron Body earlier?"
After saying that, he flipped his white Justice Coat with a smirk. "We won!"
"That's not necessarily true."
At that moment, a mocking laugh echoed from above, carried by a frigid wind.
"Hmm?"
Kaminari, Midoriya, Bakugo, Kirishima, and Wolfram all instinctively looked up—and saw an ice dragon glowing white, flapping its wings and hovering under the moon.
Boom!
"Kaminari!!!"
A massive explosion erupted to the south. Kyoka, Bakugo, Tetsutetsu, and Iida who had somehow arrived without warning ran out from the newly blasted hole.
But the four standing in front didn't turn back to greet them, because the ice dragon's presence was clearly hostile.
Whoosh—
With a gust of air, the ice dragon soared toward them, with a snowman perched atop its head. Its two massive, razor-sharp claws lunged at Wolfram.
"He's targeting Wolfram!!" Midoriya shouted in warning.
"No, that's not right!"
Kaminari's gaze locked onto the Quirk Amplification Device on Wolfram's head and shouted, "His target is the device Todoroki!"
"Leave it to me."
Todoroki's expression turned serious in an instant, and the next moment, a blast of cold erupted from his body. But just then, Tetsutetsu and Iida shouted from the distance, "Don't use ice!"
But it was too late. Or maybe Todoroki's ice formation was just too fast. In an instant, a towering iceberg made of countless ice blocks came crashing in.
"Giving me such a big present?" The snowman under the hood smiled faintly and then gently raised his right palm.
"Then I'll gladly accept."
The next second, a shocking scene unfolded, Todoroki's pupils shrank. The massive iceberg stopped just two meters in front of the ice dragon.
"A Quirk that controls ice…" Todoroki muttered.
"Bingo!"
Standing atop the ice dragon, now landed on the iceberg, the snowman looked down at everyone and smiled. "I am your absolute natural enemy."
"In other words, I'm the pinnacle of all ice-types, the strongest water-type Quirk!"
After speaking, his gaze shifted to the hole that Bakugo and the others had just blasted open while charging toward him. Although it looked like the snowman had come to rescue him, Wolfram's instincts told him otherwise.
He had to find some nearby metal—then maybe he could flee with this newcomer.
"Where do you think you're going, Wolfram?"
The snowman's voice rang from behind. But Wolfram didn't respond—instead, four sharp ice swords suddenly stabbed into his limbs, pinning him to the concrete floor.
"Aaaghhhh!!"
His scream echoed loudly, startling Uraraka, Kyoka, and the other girls watching from afar.
"Aren't they supposed to be allies?" Kirishima said in surprise.
"Who cares, just don't let him get taken!" Bakugo growled, glaring fiercely at the ice dragon atop the iceberg.
But in truth, his arms were in no shape for another high-intensity battle. If he pushed now, he could suffer serious damage.
"Yeah, that metal guy's still wearing the Quirk Amplification Device that Dr. David invented. It seems broken, but it might still be fixable," Midoriya said seriously.
"What the hell are you mumbling about?! Let's fight!" Bakugo shouted, about to charge in, but Kirishima grabbed him around the waist.
"What are you doing?! Let go, or I'll kill you, you damn redhead!"
"Calm down, Bakugo! You need to rest your arm!"
Boom!
Suddenly, the ice dragon's claws shattered the entire iceberg into countless pieces. The fragments then floated mid-air, tightly packed and terrifying under the snowman's control.
"Before I leave, let me test the strength of you heroes!"
As soon as the snowman finished speaking, all the ice blocks transformed into countless handleless ice swords, each one with its tip aimed at Kaminari and the others.
"This test... will be deadly."
And with that, the ice swords rained down.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A barrage of piercing wind filled the skies above the central tower.
"Watch out!"
"Kaminari, Bakugo, stand back! Let us handle this!" Tetsutetsu grabbed Kaminari's right arm and shoved him toward Kyoka.
"What are you saying, you steel bastard?!" Bakugo yelled in fury. He felt like he was being looked down on.
"Bakugo, I couldn't help you earlier. Let me protect you this time." Kirishima activated Hardening and rushed forward to stand alongside Tetsutetsu.
"You...!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Before Bakugo could say more, Tetsutetsu, Kirishima, Iida, and the others had already charged into the ice sword barrage, smashing the projectiles apart with their fists and kicks.
Everyone had only one goal—to make sure none of their friends were harmed.
"Ugh, it's freezing…" Asui rolled away from one of the swords with her tongue, only to feel like it was about to freeze solid.
Boom!
A scorching wave of heat surged, sending steam billowing into the night sky.
"Sorry. I lowered the iceberg's temperature too much earlier," Todoroki said awkwardly, unleashing flames to incinerate the surrounding ice swords.
"Damn it… I'm totally useless right now!" Sero thought, watching Bakugo blast incoming ice swords despite his injuries, frustrated at his own helplessness.
"Kaminari, don't overthink it. We're partners and when you're in trouble, you should accept help from your friends," Kyoka said, comforting him.
"She's right. You've already done more than enough for everyone. It's our turn now!"
Momo gave Kaminari a gentle glance. Then, as a burst of light faded, two strange pistols appeared in her soft hands.
"Wait... you…"
Seeing Momo holding two guns, Kaminari froze for a second. But then, to his shock, she raised the guns with practiced skill and began firing.
Bang bang bang bang bang...
Bright muzzle flashes lit the air as the airborne ice swords shattered one after another under her pinpoint barrage.
"Kaminari, do you remember that portfolio you gave me when we first entered UA? The one titled 'Speculations and Suggestions on Quirk Creation'?" Momo asked, still facing away as she fired precise bursts.
"Hmm… I remember," Kaminari said after thinking a moment, nodding.
"These past few months, I've been training based on your suggestions. I found a professional gun instructor to learn marksmanship and researched the formulas for specialized bullets on my own."
"And now... I've finally achieved something.
(To be continued.)
***
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