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With that thought in mind, Muscular locked his beast-like gaze onto Best Jeanist's image on the screen.
His fists tightened unconsciously.
Veins bulged across the backs of his hands, while a thin layer of sweat slowly formed against his palms.
He was waiting.
Suppressing the urge to explode into action.
Anticipating the moment he could finally unleash his Quirk without restraint and fight Best Jeanist to his heart's content.
Of course, the reason Muscular looked forward to battling Best Jeanist wasn't because he was some pure-blooded combat fanatic.
At his core, what he truly craved was the freedom to use his Quirk however he pleased.
And fighting—
violent, unrestricted fighting—
was undoubtedly the fastest and most satisfying way to achieve that feeling.
The police reports about him were accurate.
He was indeed an extremely dangerous pleasure-seeking criminal.
But unlike ordinary thrill-killers, what Muscular enjoyed wasn't simply murder itself.
What he loved…
was the sensation of wielding power freely.
The exhilaration of violence.
Whether it was killing or fighting—
both were merely ways to satisfy that urge.
To use the power he was born with however he desired…
that, in Muscular's eyes, was true freedom.
And because of that, people naturally mistook him for a deranged battle maniac or a bloodthirsty lunatic.
Not that he cared.
Watching Muscular stare at Best Jeanist with such obvious anticipation, the Sludge Villain nodded inwardly in satisfaction.
Honestly, aside from Muscular's complete refusal to use his brain, the Sludge Villain was fairly pleased with him.
A powerful Quirk.
Excellent combat ability.
An intense appetite for battle.
And most importantly—
a highly qualified human shield.
Recruiting someone like this into the organization would only strengthen their reputation.
With that thought, the Sludge Villain mentally added another large checkmark beside Muscular's evaluation.
And right then—
the "ideal human shield candidate" in his eyes suddenly grinned viciously and barked out in excitement, like a predator spotting long-awaited prey.
"Perfect!"
"They're finally moving!"
Hearing that, the Sludge Villain immediately turned his attention back toward the screen.
Sure enough—
just as Muscular said, All Might and the others had already left the meeting room and officially begun the operation.
"Since they've made their move…"
"…then it's time for us to begin as well."
Watching the heroes disperse on-screen, the Sludge Villain narrowed his eyes slightly before decisively grabbing the nearby phone.
While calling Shigaraki Tomura to report the latest developments, he simultaneously spoke to Muscular.
"This time, don't hold back."
"Use your full strength."
"Play with them properly."
"We're going to make our name known today."
After saying that, he didn't even wait for a response before shutting down the computer and turning toward the exit.
Seeing this, Muscular merely shrugged and followed behind him.
To him, it didn't matter who the enemy was.
As long as he could enjoy himself, he didn't care whether he was being used by someone else in the process.
What neither of them expected, however—
was that the moment they stepped outside the room, they encountered someone completely unexpected.
Standing there—
was Shigaraki Tomura himself.
"Lord Shigaraki?"
"Why are you here?"
"Did something happen to the plan?"
Both Muscular and the Sludge Villain were visibly surprised.
Muscular's curiosity stemmed from a different reason.
Who exactly was this boy?
Why was someone this young appearing inside their hideout?
Meanwhile, the Sludge Villain's reaction was far more immediate.
His boss had personally come to inspect the operation.
Naturally, that made him nervous.
Although he believed his plan had been nearly flawless, having Shigaraki suddenly appear still put pressure on him.
According to the original arrangement, Shigaraki was only supposed to enter the scene during the final stage.
But now—
he had arrived early.
That inevitably made the Sludge Villain uneasy.
Had some unexpected variable appeared?
"No need to look so nervous."
"There's nothing wrong with your plan."
"I just came to take a look."
"And offer a small suggestion."
Seeing the tension written all over the Sludge Villain's face, Shigaraki—who had only just finished sending Toga away from the shopping mall before changing into another set of clothes—waved his hand with mild amusement.
Truthfully, he was very satisfied with the Sludge Villain's operation.
If he had handled it personally, he might not have arranged things any better.
The reason he arrived early was simply because he was worried something unforeseen might go wrong.
After all, All Might's strength was obvious to everyone.
With only Muscular and the Sludge Villain present, there was no guarantee they could completely control the situation.
So Shigaraki had decided to intervene personally.
At the same time—
he intended to use this incident to officially establish the reputation of the organization he was building.
There was no helping it.
Although his speech during the Sludge Villain incident had indeed inspired many people suffering from Quirk discrimination to rebel against society…
very few of those people were actually useful.
Most of them weren't even qualified to serve as cannon fodder, much less become true members of his organization.
And Shigaraki had no interest in collecting trash.
Because of that, the first stage of his main quest still remained incomplete.
So before U.A. High officially opened—
he planned to make a major move.
A move large enough to spread the organization's name throughout society and attract genuinely talented individuals to his side.
"A small suggestion?"
Hearing that the plan hadn't failed and that Shigaraki merely wanted to modify part of the operation, the Sludge Villain visibly relaxed.
This was his first assignment under Shigaraki.
Its success or failure would directly affect how his boss viewed him going forward.
He absolutely did not want to be branded useless.
Thankfully, things weren't as disastrous as he feared.
Otherwise, he genuinely might have considered jumping into a river afterward.
With that thought, the Sludge Villain respectfully lowered his head.
"Please give your orders, Lord Shigaraki."
"I want to use this operation to fully establish our organization's name."
"To attract more like-minded people."
"And expand our influence."
Shigaraki paused briefly before calmly continuing,
"To guarantee the operation succeeds…"
"…I'll personally participate as the primary combat force."
The moment those words fell, the Sludge Villain's expression turned troubled.
Not because he disliked Shigaraki altering the plan.
Or because he felt inconvenienced.
At the end of the day, he was Shigaraki's subordinate.
Whatever Shigaraki decided, he would obey.
That was only natural.
No—
what truly worried him was Shigaraki's safety.
This operation involved All Might and multiple top-ranked Pro Heroes.
If that many heroes attacked together, even the Sludge Villain couldn't confidently guarantee Shigaraki would remain unharmed.
And if something truly happened to him…
then even dying ten thousand times wouldn't be enough to make up for it.
However, after seeing the absolute certainty in Shigaraki's eyes, the Sludge Villain ultimately swallowed the words he originally wanted to say.
Because he understood something clearly.
Shigaraki Tomura was neither reckless nor foolish.
If he had chosen to personally enter the battlefield, then he undoubtedly had his own plans and confidence.
At moments like this, a subordinate's duty was not to object.
It was to obey.
And then—
to do everything possible to eliminate hidden dangers.
Even if genuine danger appeared…
he would find a way to protect Shigaraki no matter the cost.
If necessary—
he would even sacrifice his own life and the lives of everyone else present.
That was what a proper subordinate should do.
With that thought, the Sludge Villain lowered his head respectfully and accepted the order without hesitation.
"Yes, Lord Shigaraki."
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