The black smoke engulfed the area, spreading across the building.
Inside, Takeyama Urei and Ochako watched in shock from above. Through the glass, they could see the entire battlefield covered in the terrifying smoke that had burst out the moment Midoriya Izuku appeared.
A powerful gust of wind suddenly tore through the smoke. The moment All Might realized something was wrong, he held his breath and used *One For All* to disperse the darkness before him. But even then, something still felt off.
"Edgeshot, Kamui Woods… what's wrong with you...?"
Within All Might's line of sight, the heroes around him were collapsing to the ground, completely drained of strength. Endeavor was barely holding himself up on one knee, but he was clearly in bad shape.
"D-Damn it… What the hell is this...?"
Sweat dripped down his face as Endeavor gasped for breath. He felt dizzy, nauseous, and completely powerless. It was as if his body had been stripped of all its strength.
"*Cough, cough...* Midoriya Izuku… what did you do…?"
All Might coughed heavily, realizing something was wrong with his own body too. He had the same symptoms as Endeavor, though they weren't affecting him as badly.
"All Might! Are you okay?!"
As soon as he sensed something was wrong, Togata Mirio instinctively used "Permeation" to dodge the attack. But now that he was back on solid ground, he was met with a terrible scene…
It was both unexpected and, at the same time, not surprising. He never thought Midoriya would create something like that again.
"Midoriya! What the hell did you do?!"
Even though things weren't exactly as he had imagined, seeing the heroes in such a miserable state made Togata Mirio furious. He glared at Midoriya Izuku and demanded an answer. Using such an underhanded method—it was too much...
"A new idea based on my last accidental invention. This is a new type of weapon. Let's call it the 'Plague Bringer.'"
As Midoriya explained, he raised his right hand and made a gesture. The others immediately followed orders and disappeared through Kurogiri's warp gate, leaving only Dabi by his side. But that was Dabi's own request—he wanted to face Endeavor himself.
"'Quirk Flu'—All Might, Mirio, you should be familiar with that condition, right?"
"What?!"
Midoriya's words confused All Might and Togata Mirio. Of course, they knew about the "Quirk Flu." Ever since quirks appeared, new types of diseases had emerged alongside them.
The common cold, which had plagued humanity throughout history, seemed to have evolved in this new era. Those who caught the "Quirk Flu" would suffer from illness just like any regular cold. But in addition to normal symptoms, their quirk's power would be significantly weakened, and their control over it would drop drastically. Fortunately, it wasn't life-threatening.
This was one of the reasons why people often said that a quirk was a part of the body—the existence of the "Quirk Flu" was proof of that.
"But wait, a normal 'Quirk Flu' wouldn't bring heroes down like this?!"
Togata Mirio looked at the fallen heroes—Edgeshot, Kamui Woods, and even Endeavor, who was barely holding himself up. This wasn't something a simple cold could cause.
"Of course not. I made it stronger."
Midoriya answered casually, then added,
"But I have to say, All Might really is amazing. Even after being infected with my enhanced virus, he's only coughing a little. His physical endurance is terrifying..."
"Midoriya… when did you create something this dangerous?"
Togata Mirio felt a deep fear. He always knew his junior had an incredible talent for inventing things, but to create something this dangerous… Wasn't that going too far?
"I got the idea a little while ago at school and made it on the spot. Seems to work pretty well."
"......"
Silence.
All Might and Togata Mirio were speechless.
A "spur-of-the-moment" idea… A weapon casually put together… And now, a battlefield littered with fallen heroes, with even Endeavor struggling to stay on his feet.
"You… Are you even human…?"
Mirio pointed a trembling finger at the criminal before him. Midoriya Izuku nodded.
"Of course, I am. I just happen to know a little about this kind of thing."
To understand how the "Plague Bringer" came to be, one would have to look back to Midoriya's time at U.A. High School.
Back then, right after the training camp incident, he had left the hero course and dedicated himself fully to support department research. His progress in that period was astonishing.
One of the most dangerous things Midoriya had ever created—a weapon so terrifying that it was still being kept under Hatsume Mei's care—was based on a horrifying concept. It spread through airborne microbes, bacteria, and viruses, multiplying in a geometric pattern until it could infect an entire city.
Midoriya had originally studied various fields to find ways to take down villains effectively. He had even put in serious effort in biochemistry, hoping to enhance his "explosives." But it seemed he had strayed far from that path.
To ensure the League of Villains' plan would succeed while also weakening the heroes, using "disease" was the perfect strategy.
Midoriya and his allies had all been injected with antibodies beforehand, but the heroes here had no such protection. Once infected with the enhanced virus, those unprepared were dropping like flies, completely losing their ability to fight.
The "cold virus" was something that could be found in any medical research facility. But after Midoriya enhanced it, it became a highly contagious, almost unavoidable sickness. Those with weaker bodies collapsed almost instantly, while only someone as strong as Endeavor could barely stay standing.
Still, Midoriya had no intention of harming the heroes. That was why he chose the "Quirk Flu"—a way to strip them of their combat ability without causing lasting harm. Once they got medical attention, they'd recover quickly.
Of course, he had tested it beforehand. He casually had Dabi and Kurogiri grab a criminal with a heavy record and used them as a test subject.
Now, the others were off searching for their target inside the corporate building. But Midoriya Izuku was the primary objective of the heroes. There was no way All Might and Togata Mirio would let him go.
Dabi, on the other hand, had his own reasons for staying—he had business with Endeavor.
Midoriya had given strict orders: no direct fights with the heroes. If a battle broke out, just stall for time.
After all, the "Plague Bringer" wasn't a one-time-use weapon.
Every single League of Villains member present was carrying an infectious pathogen. All they had to do was hold out until the heroes' strength completely faded.
And one more thing…
If anyone dared to disobey orders and kill a hero or an innocent person, Midoriya would personally send them straight to hell.
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