Chapter 2: The Birth of Fear

Wandering around the streets, well fed and recovered in that kid's home, Garou read the index of heroes the boy offered as a token of his appreciation, along with some money and a backpack the way. The silver-haired boy, whose name was Ghin Shinjitsu, was generous, thankful even, despite witnessing the mass homicide Garou committed in front of him.

Reading through the contents, Garou devoured page by page, absorbing as much knowledge of the heroes here as he could. He knew he might never return home, forever stranded on foreign soil, but even so, The Hero Hunter will carry out his crusade regardless of place. The existence of heroes here was cause enough for him to enact violence against the upholders of heroic oppression.

Walking across the sidewalk, many curious eyes of some passersby wandered to his presence, each glancing at his menacing appearance or, more specifically, his pitch-black right eye. To his unaware, some of them hypothesized Garou to be one of those villains, the kind that terrorizes the populace daily, while others categorized him to be one of those mutant-type Quirk users.

As Garou continued walking on the streets of Hosu, he closed his book, contemplating his plan of action according to what he learned so far.

In his mindscape, Garou sifted through his potential targets, pondering who to hunt and how he should present his debut. But there was a problem…

How powerful are Quirks, average-wise? Garou drew a prototype scope of levels between the Quirks, though there were no rankings for Quirk levels as far as he knew. The kid even denied the existence of a ranking chart for Quirks since their range of utility was too vast and unpredictable to translate into pure numbers.

The best references for comparisons were the unique abilities of monsters and heroes, or the enigmatic power of Espers. However, hearing and experiencing were two different things, the latter more capable of teaching through direct encounters, risk and all.

'Though, how should I know that they were all people?'

Garou mentally groused. He didn't know that they weren't monsters, despite looking so similar to monsters. How could he tell the difference in the first place since he grew up in a world of freaks and abominations that craved the death of humanity?

Regardless, what was done was done, an experience to exercise further caution with his might. Besides, no one even liked the villains-turned-mangled-corpses nor sympathized with their deaths.

Moving past his consolidated mistakes, he decided to wander in his hunt. He hoped to encounter a strong hero for a good reference on how to deal with Quirks, a viable benchmark for comparison. From what he learned, the number of Quirks was so diverse, Garou couldn't formulate even one concise countermeasure against them. From how the silver-haired kid described it, yet a Quirk that kills with a single glance could exist, more reason to add fuel for caution.

Garou knew he should further invest in caution, but knowing that if a man with superhuman might could stand atop of the hero world in this country, then someone around Garou's level should be able to manage as well.

Though according to what he learned about the heroes in his book, some of them… look quite queer in comparison like a monster trying to play Hero. He even saw an alligator man dressed in a hero costume. For anyone used to seeing monsters assaulting helpless humans, the sight was beyond alien even to him.

Shrugging his stray thoughts, Garou returned his focus on his travel, already having a location in mind to start his hunt. However, to his unaware, he headed closer and closer to a cordoned zone, the number of pedestrians began to decrease the further he trekked, an area cut off by heroes in their search for villains.

In his wandering stroll, a presence caught his radar, followed by another, alerting his attention to the alleyway next to him. Seeing what seemed to be a shadow shuffling through the darkness, a suspicious figure veiled in the absence of light, Garou could make out a large figure sneaking in the dark.

"Oh?" A wild unknown had appeared.

Changing directions, Garou rushed into the alley, smiling as he disappeared at speeds faster than the average eye could see.

---------

The hero rushed through the narrow darkness, into the suffocating presence of rotten odors and lack of light. In front of him, a villain fled for his life, his stamina already depleting bit by bit - chased for the crime of several kidnappings and abductions along with theft. He was a mutant, one bearing the features of a grasshopper be its head, arms, or legs.

Like a grasshopper, he possessed the power to leap great distances, but at the cost of great stamina. Currently, at most thrice a day was his limit, any more will lead to immediate collapse, a weakness his pursuer was exploiting at this very moment.

The Hero was catching up with the villain in the darkness, ready to run him down like a bull and bring him to justice. Accelerating his momentum, he swiftly closed enough distance to throw a right hook, striking the villain's skull to the point of instant knockout.

"Ack?!"

Squawking, the cricket villain tumbled in somersaults, crashing into the garbage cans in the darkness and immobilized.

"Your crime spree has ended, villain."

The hero declared. As he reached for the phone in his back pocket, a voice halted him in his tracks.

"Yo."

The sudden voice emerging out of the seemingly unending blackness set the Hero instantly on edge, their eyes darting back and forth around the surroundings.

"So, you're a hero, huh? Must say, you look… quite meaty. As meaty as Darkshine. How strong are you?" The voice in the darkness queried, the sound echoing from everywhere as if he was a haunting phantom.

A chill passed over the Hero. He couldn't see anyone around him. But the feeling of being watched never left him.

"Hmmm, bullhorns? You part bull?"

The hero felt something touching his horns on his head, a few casual flicks on the hard bone, along with something weighing around his left shoulder.

Whipping his head around, the Hero was immediately confronted by a scene he did not expect. Squatting on one of his shoulders was a lithe man, his visage dimmed by shadow, but his features still discernable despite the lack of light. A mix of confusion and suspicion immediately overtook the Hero.

"Say, is your bodily condition natal?" The figure asked, flashing his pearly white teeth with a ferocious grin shining in the shadow.

The Hero could feel the sweat begin to trickle down his forehead, leaving wet trails behind. Egged from stress and instinctual fear, The Bull Hero attempted to shake the man off his shoulder, only for the said man to leap from his roost, landing in front of his eyes. He barely made any noise at all as he perched down, only the woosh of the parting air even indicating the impossibly soundless landing.

"You… another villain?"

Clenching both of his weighty fists, the Hero kept his eyes firmly locked on the sinister figure before him. Judging by his sudden appearance and demeanor, the red-haired man must not have come for any reason other than violence. But there was something about him that set his instincts blaring, a dark foreboding sense of danger that must be stopped or else unspeakable danger will unfold.

"You can say that — the name's Garou. I had a few titles, but I prefer either the Human Monster or the Hero Hunter. Maybe the latter. So, you ready to be my first victim?"

That answer was more than enough to spur him into combat.

Tensing up, the Hero twisted his body and cocked back his right. Every one of his Quirk-enhanced muscles bulged and swelled as he wound himself up.

"Oh, and don't bother calling your friends."

Lifting his hand, The Hero could see…

"What?"

Since when did he take his phone? The hero paused his windup, patting his back pocket with his other his surprise; he felt an empty spot where his phone should have been.

"Don't worry. You'll get it back. After I break you." Garou smiled before throwing the phone away behind him, letting it clatter the hard concrete.

"Come at me. You'll be seeing a lot more red once I'm done with you."

Gritting his teeth, the Hero glared at the figure before him. His fear now seemed to be mixed with vengeful anger, showing itself in his narrowed glare.

"So you're here to free your comrade, huh?"

With one thumb, the bullish-hero gestured over towards the knocked out villain, still twitching from the sheer impact of his punch. If this new villain would not attack instantly, then perhaps he could be coerced into revealing more information.

"The hell is he?"

The newcomer peeked at the cricket man, only to tilt his head in confusion. As for said cricket man, the villain stirred in his unconsciousness, groaning in pain as he slowly picked himself up.

"Don't you play dumb. Why else are you here if not for him? Which gang are you from?"

Taking a step towards the villain, the Bull Hero spat out at him. This guy had to be a part of some villain gang or organization. But then again, there was something about this guy...

"No, seriously. Don't know him or any gangs here."

Garou shrugged, before entering his stance, knees bent and arms angled in a predatory design - one that radiated experience and skill, a feeling so different it felt almost… alien compared to those of the usual ilk.

"Show me what you got."

The taunting was enough. With a cry of effort, the Hero took another step towards the villain, just close enough - twisting his body now in the opposite direction, his balled fist shot out; beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, as he poured all of his strength into it.

CRACK*

In response, Garou's fist swiftly met his, the result the opposite of The Bull Hero expectations. The bones in his fist shattered, while the shoulder of his right popped out of its socket with a sickening crack.

"AUUUUGGGRRRHH!"

The Hero recoiled in pain, holding his now-shattered hand up in the air, his fingers currently twisted at unnatural angles, with the skin pulpy and riddled with contusions.

"What the hell? That it?" Garou asked, his surprise evident by his rapid blinking eyes.

Clenching his other fist, the Hero began to pant heavily. His eyes shifted from his broken hand over to the villain.

"I expected a fight with a Quirk like yours. Don't you have super strength or something?"

Judging from his tone, The Bull Hero could tell he felt as if he was cheated of his promised fair game.

"I'm not… argh… done yet. I still… haaah…."

"Let's see."

In a split second, with an immense impact of which flinches the mind of those that heard the sound, Garou's fist was lodged within The Bull Hero's chest, deep through bone and squishing the lungs behind the ribs.

The result, The Hero vomited blood as darkness consumed his vision, the whites appearing in his eyes before he fell to his knees with a heavy thud.

"Yeah, we're done. Congratulations. You've completed and utterly wasted my time." Garou sneered before dislodging his hand from his victim's chest, leaving him alive but barely.

Garou turned around, refusing to give him another glance even as the rest of him fell face flat to the floor.

"Don't tell me other heroes are this weak?" Garou muttered. His hunt had just begun, but his start was anticlimactic; so much so, Garou felt like demanding his first victim to refund his wasted time.

As for the criminal, he slowly picked himself to his feet, eyeing his supposed savior with a sense of awe.

"Whoa. Thanks, man. That was awesome, taking down-"

Before the villain could speak another word, his face slammed to the wall toot sweet with overwhelming force, his consciousness giving in as his face intimately engaged the stone.

"Trash."

Garou turned and walked away after disposing of the villain as well. He would not allow the scum to misinterpret his actions as his duty to evil as a whole. The phone appeared at the corner of his eyes, attracting Garou's attention to the device.

Looking at the phone on the floor in his path, Garou pondered in thought. Picking it up, Garou fiddled with the device for a moment, scrying the features on the phone hoping to acquire the contact numbers of heroes for future use.

"What's this?" Garou, however, found something like a map blinking green on the screen - a radar of sorts, evident by the lime yellow concentric rings and the red arrow indicating the position of the holder.

'I heard of heroes back home using these to call for backup. I wonder…'

Perusing the number of buttons available to him, Garou found the Emergency button. A wicked idea coursed through his mind as he weighed his current choices.

One, he could fight an angry mob of heroes regardless of the risk. Or two, pick them off one by one. The second choice was indeed safer, but, considering how weak the hero behind him was, he decided to test the waters. Also, what better way to spread his infamy than a pile of broken bodies in the middle of the streets?

The image of the macabre scene alone made Garou smile ever more. He might need the body behind him as an… incentive. Or two for more impact.

---------

An hour of preparation later, Garou waited in the middle of the empty streets, sitting on the 'corpse' of the bullman hunched with elbows on his laps, as he waited for the heroes to arrive. Not only that, his body wasn't alone, accompanied by an even bloodier 'corpse,' one that looked like a cricket.

Luring heroes to him instead of personally hunting them was a tactic he never considered in his world, mostly because some of S-Class heroes were critically above his league. Regardless, he still wished to test out his targets here if his findings were of any indication.

All or nothing.

God rewarded his patience with the presence of one hero, who jumped at the sight of Garou sitting on the back of an unconscious hero. This hero was garbed in the attire themed off a wolf.

"What the?" Said the hero.

"Yo," Garou ostentatiously waved the phone in his hands with mocking grace.

His provocation was super effective against the hero.

"Get off the hostage and face me, Villain!"

He shouted as he charged towards Garou, tensing his right arm as he pounced towards Garou.

"Slow."

Garou smacked him aside, not even bothering to look at the result of his handiwork. That one move was enough to determine the hero's worth, his judgment sound when the hero crashed into the wall, rattled into unconsciousness.

In his wait, two more arrived at the scene — a pair of heroes garbed in ninja attire.

After them, four more heroes arriving at the middle of Hosu. Before long, a small battalion of heroes greeted him, some standing atop the roof of buildings looking down upon him at the edge while others arrived at the scene in a rush. A few even appeared in mid-air, levitating with the power of flight as well. There was also a hero with an actual jetpack.

"State your identity, villain!"

"Cease all hostilities and turn yourself in at once!"

The heroes around him demanded, every one of them preparing their Quirks for combat as they surrounded the Hero Hunter.

Garou only smiled in return. Upon briefly glancing at the hero he knocked aside, he saw a phone in his hand.

'So he called for backup before he slept. Huh.'

Rising from his 'seat,' Garou casually jumped off the hero he stood on and landed on the cold hard street.

"Ahahaha! Come at me, heroes! Let the Hero Hunt commence!" Garou declared, spreading his arms wide as if welcoming them.

Today was the day the Hero Hunter made his mark on the world, his first grand appearance with the heroes of Hosu as his sacrifice.

From that day, bodies of iconic heroes painted the street along with with their crimson blood, their downed forms a mockery of all their efforts and what they stood for - and a challenge against the world's collective concept of justic

entirely.

---------

"[I've never seen such a brutal scene before! Just who would have defeated so many heroes and-]"

Switching to another channel…

"[Could this be the rise of a new villain gang?! So many heroes brutally massacred yet-]

Switching.

"[Within the streets of Hosu, a pile of bodies splattered in blood appeared, left behind by possibly a dastardly dangerous villain group we've never heard of before.]"

On every screen, news of the horrible carnage took over all the media channels, stunning all the residents of Japan with the unwantedly graphic details.

All Might could only watch the depicted 'massacre' on the screen in his room, gritting his teeth with his fists clenched. Such a moment of brutality. And for seemingly no reason either. Scene after scene played out before Yagi, who sat still, unable to help. At least, not in his current skeletal form.

Of course, within All Might's mind, there was only one person who could be responsible for such a massacre; his name echoed throughout the walls of his mind, reverberating around until the echo became a roar.

"All For… One…"

How was he alive? All Might thought he ended his life that day at the substantial cost of his career. Although he never took the man as one wanting attention; nonetheless, he was the only one he knew capable of such a gruesome feat.

"[Wait! One of the Heroes woke up! H-He's crawling away from the scene! Wait! His face! Look at his expression!]"

On the screen, All Might could see one of the heroes crawling away, his helmet shattered and chipped, revealing the snot, tears, and abject terror reflecting off his countenance.

"[D-Demon! S-Stay away! Garoouuu!]"

The terrified, anguished cry stunned the assembled emergency personnel and reporters into silence, taken back by the sight of a broken Hero. The sheer level of panic in his voice sent a shiver down more than a few spines.

All Might blinked at the name. Wasn't it All For One? One of his subordinates, perhaps?

"No, too chaotic." Cupping his chin, All Might recollect his memories of All For One, his accumulated experience and knowledge of the Symbol of Evil's character. This was too random, even for him. And there was no villain there at the scene to take the credit whatsoever. The culprit behind the crime was someone new, the next generation entering the stage making his debut.

In another house, a Quirkless boy with messy, dark green moss for hair watched with terror alongside his mother on the couch. Both mother and son dropped their jaws, their bodies petrified into stillness from fear apprehension delivered by the horror behind the screen.

"So… so many…"

On the screen, a random hero from the bloody pile crawled out from the mass, rolling off of the others underneath him and landed on the streets. His body jittered, his arms wobbling when he pushed himself to his knees, threatening to collapse under him at any moment's notice.

This one, however, did not seem as physically damaged as his peers judging by his naked face, his cheek marked with contusions but still healthy and active. But his trembling, bloodshot eyes was enough indication of his mental state.

Even more so when he curled his body into a ball and hugged his knees, rocking back and forth like a child longing for his mother's warmth, he didn't even notice the news crew around him, or that the citizens were witnessing his state through the lens.

"[... This… ahem. A-As you can see…]" The reporter stuttered, trying to regain her composure.

"How many heroes do you see?"

In the dark room where only the static of the screen was the only source of light, dimly illuminating the faceless man's visage, the blind one asked the man shrouded in abysmal mists behind him while 'watching' the screen before him.

"It is difficult to determine an exact count from the presented footage, but it appears to be at least twenty."

The voice of the one covered in black fog almost seemed a little surprised at the number.

"Really? Judging from the girl's tone, I estimated forty at best. Perhaps fifty at most," All For One asked, disappointed, but still surprised.

"It is not the number, but the state of the Heroes that shook the reporter."

Kurogiri corrected, his eyes still glued to the scene with a mix of unease and awe, the first from the fear the scene instilled and the latter a sense of respect for the one, or ones, capable of performing this feat - a feat that will inspire villains in Japan to take action, nonetheless.

"What is the one word that comes to your mind when you saw their state?" The blind Symbol of Evil asked.

Kurogiri paused and gathered his thoughts. Many words raced his thoughts: terror, horror, gruesome. But one word came to mind, one derived from the feeling the scene visually conveyed.

"...a nightmare."

Hearing this, All For One hummed in contemplation, editing his plans for the future in his mind.

"I see. So, this is a message, nonetheless; to inspire Fear into the hearts of many… encourage Tomura to approach the one called Garou in the future when the time arrives. I've never encountered an event like this in many years, to be honest, nor anyone even capable of such feats when I still could see. A refreshing revelation, I admit. Keep an eye on this one."

Kurogiri nodded in response, keeping his 'eyes' on the screen, as the footage of the broken Heroes continued rolling.

---------

The following week was as eventful as the day of his debut. Heroes confronted him in droves, all failed and abandoned for pickup to the hospital. Although this time it was out of town - the Hero Hunter wished to navigate his surroundings, the cities of this so-called Japan.

Throughout the week, Garou learned a few oddities concerning world travel.

The natives here speak the same language as him, shares the same concept of currency, and very similar cultures. When one first heard the word, 'world travel,' one expected to enter a world much more alien than one's own. Either this was a parallel dimension of sorts, or God was messing with Garou.

Mustafa was vibrant with life, the mall there housing many goods that caught even Garou's attention. Kamino Ward was rife with heroes and police officers, heavily patrolled in safeguard against the villains hiding in the shadows.

Dagoba was a calm place, peaceful and relaxing while placidly reveling in the serene, idle chatter and scent of the ocean air carried by the winds drifting from Dagoba Beach. Hell, even he could enjoy a nice relaxing meal here or there without fear of heroes pestering him.

Still, regardless of his brutal and successful ventures, he discovered a problem with the heroes here.

"Why are they so damn weak?"

Concerning designated class coined by the Hero Association, Garou ranked them around B-Class, or worse, C-Class. There were no A-Class there, none of which that offered even the slightest iota of a fight he tenaciously craved.

If he wasn't wrong, the heroes here were nothing more than a police force against those with superpowers.

"Then why call them heroes?" He murmured, drinking from a smoothie at this seat outside a particular cafe, relaxing in Dagoba to calmly plan his next destination and course of action.

Garou wanted a fight. A good fight. But none of these peons could even offer such a thing. If the heroes here were that worthless, the villains must be worse if they're so afraid of this All Might. Judging from Ghin's explanation, the hero was their Symbol of Peace, the shining light that banished the shadows of unease and fear.

"Maybe I'll test him next." Garou amused himself with the thought.

But the real question was, where the hell would he find the guy? According to Ghin, no one knew where he was most of the time. While he did appear to resolve catastrophes and criminal events, the man himself remained a mystery most cannot even comprehend or solve.

"Hmph."

Slurping his smoothie dry, Garou placed a five hundred yen coin on the table before he rose from his seat and departed to the streets again, He did not look back, even when the waitress tried to call him for change, which Garou replied with, "Keep it."

He almost grew tired of hunting heroes en masse now that he thought about it. While fun at first, appeal abladed over time if they can't even offer a good fight. The terror his 'hunts' instill also downsized with each disappointing encounter, from bloody scenes born from hell to just comical scenes of Heroes piled atop each other with only broken bones. In short, his motivation to hunt heroes was fading strong.

Thus, he decided to fall back to his roots. Training.

If he cannot find the challenge he craved from the heroes, then he shall push himself to the limits by his lonesome, using all of the S-Class heroes, especially Bang, as his benchmark. He will not stop until he was powerful to crush them all with his fists alone, especially if All Might might prove himself a disappointment like the rest of the heroes that crossed him so far.

He started with Dagoba Beach, following the ocean scent carried by the breeze. Trash was abundant in that area, which made it an ideal location for secluded training.

However, the moment the haphazardly scattered trash followed by the blue horizon stretching beyond his sight and melding with the setting sun greeted his eyes, he caught the sight of another man.

Elongated limbs so thin one wondered if someone carved out most of his muscles and left him with just morsels to move around. A face so desiccated he looked like he was malnourished for days, and slumping forward like a hunchback with an ever-present frown Garou caught from the side of his face. He tilted his head as his ears caught glimpses of his whispers

"Hmm, yes, this seems like a good spot for Midoriya. Yes, yes, indeed."

The man seemed to be mumbling to himself, nodding his head as if agreeing to a phantom.

The moment the man turned around, he caught the sight of the crimson-haired man, taken back by his menacing appearance, especially the black sclera sporting from his right eye.

"Aghashfihigsdhgoig!?"

He yelled, springing into an incomprehensible reaction of jumping back and waving his arms around.

"...what?"

Garou asked, glaring into the skeleton's azure pupils and shadowed sclera.

"I… Ahem. Sorry, my apologies. But I hope my reaction didn't offend you."

The man sheepishly rubbed the back of his messy, dull blonde hair.

"None taken. Besides, I'm new here."

Garou replied with a shrug as he walked past the skeleton to gaze at Dagoba Beach unhindered, taking in the sight of the trash and the roiling waves - the waters dyed orange by the setting sun.

"Huh, this could be a beautiful place without the trash now that I think about it," Garou mumbled loud enough for the emaciated skeleton to hear.

"Haha, y-yes. Indeed. I've been planning to clean it up with some help."

Garou turned around, seeing him sporting an awkward smile.

"Really? You? You look like a vampire sucked you dry and left you unfinished just to mock you for fun," Garou scoffed, striking a conversation with the man out of the blue with a blunt, offensive remark on his appearance. It hit him hard like a spear through his heart. Garou could almost see the metaphorical blood spewing from his mouth… wait, blood did spew from his mouth. Why was he coughing blood?

"Wait, you alright?" Garou asked, taken back by the sight of the man coughing blood out of nowhere.

"Ack, ack. Hahhh… yeah, just fine. Just recovering from an injury, that's all."

The man waved his concern off.

"What happened?" Garou asked, seeing the skeleton rubbing his right side, by the stomach area.

"Just an accident. Nothing special."

"Hmph." Garou could see through his lies; his posture was indication enough of a critical injury. One that the man might never recover from till his death.

"Then shouldn't you be in bed or something?" Garou pointed out.

"Hahaha, no. I can manage. The doctors said the same thing as well, but I'm not the kind that likes to take things easy." The man kindly smiled in return for Garou's concern.

"You part of the cleanup crew, or charity?" Garou guessed.

"Well, you can say I'm from a charity organization. I will soon bring my junior to clean up the beach to ingratiate him into my line of work."

"Just him? No one else?" Garou narrowed his eyes out of suspicion.

"Well, there's no one else. If there was, this beach would've been cleaned up by now."

"...good point."

Garou couldn't deny that.

"Anyways, I am Toshinori Yagi. What's yours?" Toshinori asked, reaching out for Garou.

"Well…" Garou reached out in return.

"Call me Bang." Garou decided to use his master's name to avoid confusion.

"Hm? That's… a unique name. Are you from America?"

Garou's train of thought came to a halt for a moment. "No. I'm from… somewhere very far away." He deliberately answered.

"Hahaha, a foreigner? But you speak Japanese quite fluently here."

"I'm a fast learner." Garou shrugged.

"What are you doing here, by the way? Here to help clean up the beach?" Toshinori asked.

"No, just… looking for a quiet place, somewhere without many people." Garou answered, not minding if Yagi knew his course of action.

"O-Oh. Haha, I am sorry, Bang, my boy, for taking your spot."

"Don't. I'm not picky anyways."

Now bored and robbed of his spot, Garou turned around, pivoting by his left heel.

"Anyways, get some rest, Skeleton. We don't want an actual corpse to lie around the sidewalk potentially scaring the folks here."

Toshinori nearly spewed more blood by his blunt, sharp words; his head hung down in dejection by the man's somewhat malicious, but accurate jibes.

"...hah, if only I had more time…" Yagi mumbled once Garou was out of range until he received a phone call.

Digging into his pockets, he raised his vibrating device to his ear.

"Yes?"

"[All Might, we believe that Garou might be around your area.]"

Tsukauchi spoke, informing All Might of the newcomer already.

"Really?" All Might widened his eyes in contemplation. The coincidence was too good to be natural especially on the day after All Might volunteered to apprehend Garou the day before to prevent the 'Hero Hunter' from inflicting further harm to the hero community.

"[We're sending you the picture now through the phone.]"

Obtaining a picture of the Hero Hunter proved very difficult despite his multitudes of encounters. One attempt resulted in the screen stained with blood, and the image produced an abstract result filtered in crimson, depicting a demon bathing in the blood of his enemies instead of a man crushing Rock Lock. Another attempt resulted in an abstract blue of crimson and black, resulting in another horrifying image of a demonic phantom, one that reduced Crimson Riot into a mangled pretzel. He still lived surprisingly, though he was better off dead if his moans of misery were of any indication.

In summary, it was challenging to capture a full image of the Hero Hunter, as if a supernatural force was aiding him. Tsukauchi speculated it was the deed of a Quirk, one of Garou's hidden allies, but was quickly dismissed given the lack of evidence and the absurdity of it all.

His phone pinged as he received a text message from the detective alongside an attachment of Garou's picture. Raising his cellphone to his eyes, All Might blinked upon seeing the pic.

The man looked exactly like the person he met minutes ago, though this one was more… violent. In the picture, All Might saw Garou beating Fourth Kind with his own bulky fist. Yes, Garou forced Fourth Kind to hit himself with his own fist, with a smile of jubilation as if entertaining himself with the undignified beatings.

"...eh? EHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!" His eyes rapidly blinked so fast, they rival lightning, before his eyes quickly darted between the street 'Bang' departed and the man in the phone out of complete and utter disbelief - so much incredulity he coughed up blood again in copious amounts.