Fire Is Ineffective? A Powerful 'Villain'?

Fire.

One of the symbols of human civilization.

It had been given all sorts of meanings by people.

But at the same time, there was one thing no one could deny.

Fire was also something immensely powerful.

Rocks engulfed by fire turned into flowing lava, vegetation engulfed by fire burned to ash and charcoal, and living creatures engulfed by fire were scorched over and over until they were charred, dried out, and broken apart, finally turning into a handful of ash and dust scattered by the wind.

These were some of the many ways fire's power manifested...

It was precisely because of these manifestations that, when Uraraka Shige saw this 'villain' engulfed by a mass of raging flames, his first thought was, We've got this!

Moreover, the flames engulfing the 'villain' were no ordinary flames. They were controlled by the 'hero' Endeavor's 'Quirk,' Hellflame! Uraraka Shige also knew that the original author had called Endeavor's 'Quirk' the strongest fire-type Quirk!

So this is the power of the No. 2 'hero'?

As Uraraka Shige muttered to himself with a touch of envy, he also adjusted the part of his 'Quirk' affecting 'fall' to 'rise' just before he landed, greatly reducing the reactive force he experienced upon landing and making his movements afterward lighter and quicker.

But just as Uraraka Shige felt the outcome was settled and couldn't help letting his guard down, the very instant he successfully landed, the sense of danger he had felt when the 'villain' pointed at him while he was falling through the air suddenly resurfaced, even stronger than before.

"What?!"

In his shock, Uraraka Shige had no time to think. He could only act on instinct, stamping on the ground and using his 'Quirk' to adjust another portion of Gravity, directed to the left, to 'rise' as well. Using the upward force from these two instances of 'rise,' he leaped high to the left in almost an instant.

Within a second of his feet leaving the ground, an attack formed by a concentrated stream of air, silent but searingly hot and churned up by an impact, passed precisely between Uraraka Shige's legs. It scorched and tore the fabric on the inner thighs of his uniform pants, exposing two patches of soft, pale thigh flesh, each the size of two fingers, before striking the ground not far behind him and blasting a tiny depression into it.

"Hiss!!"

Uraraka Shige looked down at his crotch in midair and sucked in a cold breath, a trace of lingering fear flashing through his heart.

That inexplicable attack had only grazed him, yet it had burned two holes straight through his pants. If it had hit him, wouldn't it have punched holes directly into his body?

Then his heart filled with resentment.

He had been in this world for less than nine years, and first a 'villain' who had never appeared in the original story had severed his left arm. Although it had been reattached that same day while he was still unconscious, it had left some lingering effects. And today, he had nearly been 'sterilized' by another 'villain' who had never appeared in the original story, almost ending his family line!

Even if he knew he probably wasn't the protagonist, wouldn't get a harem in the future, and might not even get a girlfriend, just like in his previous life, at least he could still use it to comfort himself. Surely he didn't have to suffer such treatment?!

Especially when the 'villain' who had nearly ended his family line today and the 'villain' who had severed his left arm before belonged to the same 'villain group'... How could he not be full of resentment?

Fortunately, however resentful and furious he was, it didn't affect his judgment. He still knew that this 'villain' was not someone he could fight head-on, and that he should move somewhere safe as quickly as possible and observe from hiding. As for the rest, he could leave it to the police and Endeavor.

Aside from that, though, there were two things Uraraka Shige was very curious about.

How had this 'villain' managed to attack him while taking Endeavor's attack? And what was this 'villain's' 'Quirk'?

So Uraraka Shige adjusted his 'Quirk' again, using 'rise' and 'level' to begin gliding a short distance through the air, heading straight for a dark alley nearby.

As he fled, Uraraka Shige didn't forget to glance back at the villain's position. But that single glance left him utterly astonished.

Though the 'villain' was completely surrounded by raging flames, he didn't look as though he was being burned. He did seem a little anxious and flustered, but that was all. Although the surrounding flames kept Uraraka Shige from seeing exactly what he looked like, through the occasional gaps as the flames flickered, he could see that the skin not protected by clothing didn't look burned in the slightest.

"What... Isn't this a bit too much...?"

Uraraka Shige found what he was seeing somewhat hard to believe. In the original story, even those monsters called Nomu, which could crush many 'regular heroes,' had been taken down by Endeavor's flames. Yet this 'villain' taking revenge on him, this 'villain' who had never even appeared in the original story, was completely unharmed by Endeavor's flames?!

Just what kind of 'villain' was this, and what kind of 'Quirk' did he have?!

"No... no, that's not it... Is it... the temperature of the flames?"

As Uraraka Shige fretted in disbelief, something suddenly occurred to him. Although his memory was already a little hazy, he did vaguely recall that in the original story, when Endeavor dealt with that four-eyed Nomu, he seemed to have said something about a 'low temperature as a warning'...

At that thought, Uraraka Shige's eyes suddenly lit up.

That must be it... It doesn't necessarily mean this 'villain' is that terrifying. Endeavor kept the flames at a very low temperature to prevent meaningless killing...

As Uraraka Shige thought this, he landed back on the ground, and the flames surrounding the 'villain' went out at that moment.

From an alley on the other side, closer to the 'villain,' Endeavor emerged in his combat suit. Looking at the villain with a slightly surprised expression, he said something similar to the words in Uraraka Shige's memory.

"Oh? Even though I only used a low temperature as a warning, you don't seem to have suffered any damage at all? That's unexpected, but in that case, I can rest easy."

"Huh?"

At that moment, Uraraka Shige suddenly felt a little bewildered. Something seemed off.