Do You Want To Be A Hero? (20) | Recognition

The green-masked hero's sword shimmered with a brilliant green light... as he swung it down with unrelenting force toward the sludge-armored villain!

The villain's grotesque helmet twisted in panic, its fear evident as it saw the impending sword. In a desperate attempt to defend itself, the villain quickly gathered all the sludge around its body, thickening its armor to shield against the oncoming attack...

But it wasn't enough.

The blade tore through the very air around it, leaving a glowing trail as it neared its target...

SLASH!

... and cut through the sludge as if it were nothing, slicing through the thick mass with ease!

"AGHH!!!"

The villain let out a bellow of agony that echoed through the ruined district, its grotesque form writhing from the strike.

The crowd gasped—some in awe, witnessing firsthand the green-masked hero's feat, amazed that he was able to land a solid hit on such a dreadful villain...!

But others recoiled in horror, especially the Pro-Heroes. Their faces twisted in fear, believing the worst—that the newcomer hero had just harmed the hostage trapped within the villain's grasp...

But the green-masked hero knew exactly what he was doing.

His sword strike had been precise, just deep enough to split open the sludge armor encasing the hostage, but not deep enough to harm the hostage inside...!

As the villain's armor split apart... the weakened form of Katsuki was revealed.

The hero saw her trembling body, her head hung low, and her eyes barely holding onto consciousness—clearly exhausted from the strain of being held hostage and forced to push her quirk to its absolute limit...!

"Katsuki...!" the green-masked hero called out. Even though his visage was concealed behind an intimidating helmet... his voice carried an unmistakable note of worry for the blonde woman.

"T-that... voice..."

Katsuki... heard the hero's voice of concern. Weakly, she lifted her head, her vision blurring as she tried to make out the figure of the armored hero. When her gaze finally settled on his visored helmet, their eyes locked with one another.

And in that moment, though the hero's identity was hidden behind the bug-like helmet...

Katsuki felt a spark of recognition.

"... I-Izuku?"

But their fleeting connection was cut short.

"DAMN YOU, HERO!!!"

The villain, now recovering from its stunned state, roared in anger. With renewed desperation, it quickly began sealing the sludge armor back, determined to continue using Katsuki as its host...!

"N-no, get off me...!" Katsuki protested, trying to claw her way out of the villain's suffocating clutch. But... her efforts were in vain as more sludge poured over her, sealing her figure once more...!

As she struggled, Katsuki's desperate eyes found Izuku's once again. The silent plea in her gaze was unmistakable.

'Help.'

And Izuku took that signal without hesitation, hardening his resolve... There was no time to waste. He had to act—now!

He quickly took a step back, rotating his mighty sword around by the handle of it! He then pushed the same red trigger button that was sticking out from the bottom of his sword! Twice!

[ACCESS GRANTED! GRASS HOPPER ARSENAL FINISH!]

The sword announced once more with its robotic voice! Then Izuku held his sword back up and prepared himself in sword stance, lowering his form as he shifted his legs apart, steadying his posture. His hands gripped the hilt tightly, raising the glowing blade high above his head...

Then, without a moment's hesitation, he dashed forward—closing the distance between him and the villain in the blink of an eye.

"Grass Cutter's Onslaught...!" he whispered loudly under his breath... and, in a swift, fluid motion, he brought his sword down upon the sludge-armored villain!

SLASH!

The villain once again bellowed in agony as the blade sliced through its thick, sludge-like form, leaving a trail of ethereal, glowing green light in its wake!

But Izuku wasn't finished yet!

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

He followed up with another slash... then another... and another! Each swing of his sword faster and more precise than the last. The villain roared in desperation, trying to pull more sludge around itself, attempting to form a defense... But it was no use!

With every successive strike, Izuku's relentless onslaught tore through its attempts to shield itself, cutting through layer after layer of sludge with blinding speed. His movements became a blur, each slash almost invisible to the naked eye!

And then, in that whirlwind of slashes... Katsuki was freed!

The sludge that had imprisoned her, trapping her inside its disgusting form, was cut away—bit by bit—until her barely conscious figure was finally freed from the villain's grasp!

Without wasting a second, Izuku dematerialized the sword in his hand in a digitized aura and lunged forward, catching Katsuki just as her weakened figure began to drop to the ground.

"Katsuki...!" he called her, urgency lacing his voice as he tried to keep her conscious. "Hang in there!"

Katsuki's eyes fluttered, barely managing to open them as she tried to look toward the red bug-eye visor of his. Her lips trembled slightly... before she managed to whisper weakly to him, "I-Izuku..."

Her voice, fragile... yet filled with a glimmer of recognition, hit him like a tidal wave. His heart tightened in his chest as he cradled her frail body in his arms, clutching her closer.

With a powerful leap, Izuku pushed forward—right through the hollowed inside of the villain! He carried Katsuki away from the clutch of the sludge villain, heading toward the Pro Heroes who had been watching the entire scene unfold in stunned silence.

"Rookie...!"

Death Arms was the first to approach as the green-masked hero gently put the young woman down onto the ground. They both crouched, overlooking Katsuki's barely conscious form, checking for any wounds.

The other Pro Heroes gathered as well, especially the female ones. Izuku then glanced at one of the female heroes... and instantly recognized her.

It was Mount Lady. She had been present at the scene. Her eyes flinched, catching the red bug-eye visor's intense gaze. She was still relatively new herself, and yet here was another newcomer who had just done what no one else had.

"Please take care of her," the green-masked hero finally spoke to the Pro Heroes gathered around.

Then... he stood from his crouched position, leaving the others to tend to Katsuki, as he turned his back to them—facing the sludge villain that was slowly gathering itself together, forming its body once more.

"Oi, Rookie," Death Arms called out again, "what are you trying to do now?"

Izuku, for a moment, didn't respond to the muscular Pro Hero...

"Finishing the job."

His words cut through the silence, and the meaning sank in for everyone. They all realized in that instant... only he could neutralize this villain.

Izuku stood his ground, hardening his resolve... and then materialized the same small green USB-like device from to his right hand. He quickly inserted it back into the white apparatus on his waist!

[GRASSHOPPER!]

But he wasn't done yet. His hands moved swiftly, pushing not just the now protruding trigger of the green device on the right, but also the gray protruding trigger on the left side of his apparatus!

[METAL HOPPER! FUSION ACCESS!]

~~~~~~~~~

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Author note (and of course, shameless shilling):

Here it is, some sword action~

I tried making it like a samurai stance, but since he's not exactly using a samurai sword, I thought it would be weird and all...

I tried at best what I could, so I hope what I'd written makes sense.

Anyway, stay tuned for more,

And don't forget to check out my P@treon(dot)/demonkingakuma

There's a concept art for the sword there too, and, of course, support me, please!