The domain shattered like glass, returning the forest to its natural state. Yoshino stumbled slightly—the drain was massive. Even with his enhanced reserves, a Domain Expansion was the ultimate technique for a reason. It consumed astronomical amounts of cursed energy.
He checked his internal reserves. Significantly depleted.
But the barrier—the domain—had worked perfectly. No one outside had detected anything.
Yoshino knelt, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his temples. The exertion was immense, but the success outweighed the cost. He had created something truly unique. Not just a copy of Yuji's domain, but a manifestation of his own soul, his own power.
He looked at his hands, still trembling slightly from the energy expenditure.
Now he had everything.
Yoshino found a secluded spot beneath the trees, away from prying eyes. He lowered the veil completely—his original identity hidden once more. The forest around him was quiet, peaceful.
He closed his eyes and focused on regeneration.
His cursed energy slowly trickled back, replenished by the ambient cursed energy in the air. His body absorbed it like water, converting negative energy into power.
Yoshino's eyes snapped open the instant the explosion shattered the peaceful silence. The ground shook violently, a massive pillar of fire rising miles away in the direction of A-City. The shockwave tore through the forest, stripping leaves from branches.
He checked his reserves. 95%. Nearly full.
His time was up.
He recognized the signature immediately.
he made his way over there with superhuman speed, using the shadow manipulation ability of the ten shadows technique to hop from shadow to shadow.
Yoshino's movement was seamless—sinking into the darkness and emerging yards away, the little girl trembling in his arms. He set her down gently, immediately scanning the crater.
The scene was apocalyptic.
Heroes scattered like broken dolls across the scorched earth. Concrete shattered, steel twisted, smoke choked the air. And there, at the center of the devastation... Vaccine Man.
The enormous figure turned slowly, his massive bulk towering over the crater's edge. His eyes locked onto Yoshino—a presence that didn't fit any known hero or villain profile.
Vaccine Man's voice boomed across the devastation, echoing against the broken buildings.
"Who are you?"
The question carried no curiosity—only suspicion. A challenge.
"me just your average Hero for fun." He said with A sly smirk."
Vaccine Man stared down at him, his grotesque face twisting in confusion. The concept of fighting for "fun" was alien to his mission of purging the virus that was humanity.
"A hero... for fun?" Vaccine Man repeated, his voice dripping with venom. "You mock the sacrifice of the Earth! I am nature's antibody... here to wipe out the plague of humanity!"
"Listen buddy I don't feel like hearing your entire backstory so can we just get to the fight already?"
Vaccine Man's eyes narrowed, his patience worn thin. He didn't understand this strange hero's casual attitude—or his lack of fear. With a roar, he lunged forward, his massive fist crashing down where Yoshino had been standing.
The impact should have shattered bones. Instead, Yoshino felt the power—analyzed it—and adapted instantly. His cursed energy reinforced his bones and muscles, dissipating the kinetic force harmlessly through his body.
Vaccine Man's fist glanced off him, sending Yoshino skidding across the crater floor. No damage.
"You... weren't injured," Vaccine Man growled, stunned. "How?"
"come on I know it's not all you got hit me with everything I want to show you how useless it is before I end you."
Vaccine Man's face contorted with barely contained rage. He had never encountered anyone so... dismissive. So unbothered.
"Insolent worm!"
His massive form erupted with energy. A barrage of devastating strikes—each blow capable of leveling mountains—rained down on Yoshino. The crater floor buckled and shattered under the onslaught.
Vaccine Man's attacks were relentless—energy blasts that vaporized concrete, shockwaves that shattered glass for miles, strikes that cracked the very tectonic plates beneath.
Yoshino tanked every single one.
He analyzed the energy signatures—the frequency, the intensity, the raw output. He cataloged everything. This was invaluable training data. Boros would be exponentially worse. Way worse.
Vaccine Man, realizing his physical assault and energy barrage were useless, roared in frustration. "You're nothing but a pest! I will eradicate you!"
He gathered every ounce of his remaining energy, his body glowing blindingly bright. A massive, concentrated sphere of destructive energy formed above his head—a blast designed to wipe the city from the map.
"Vaccine Cannon!"
Yoshino's hands formed the intricate sign—*Sovereign of Eternal Eclipse*.
The barrier erupted instantly, completely enveloping the crater and the surrounding city blocks. Inside the domain, the crimson rivers and shadow landscapes swallowed Vaccine Man's apocalyptic blast whole. The energy dispersed harmlessly into the domain's infinite crimson sky.
Outside, the city remained untouched. No shockwaves.
"OK, that's enough fooling around. I'm ending this." Numerous blood spikes came from the ground and pierced vaccine man.
Vaccine Man roared in agony as dozens of blood spikes erupted from the crimson ground, piercing through his massive form. His ichor—black and viscous—spilled across the domain's landscape.
He stumbled back, his body regenerating rapidly, but the spikes kept coming.
"W-what is this?!" Vaccine Man gasped, his voice cracking with genuine fear for the first time.
"This is power." He ended it by using cleave to slice his body into little pieces.With a single, swift motion, Yoshino unleashed *Cleave*—his crimson blade materializing and cutting through Vaccine Man's body with ease. The massive creature was sliced into countless pieces, his black ichor painting the crimson ground.
The domain shattered, returning the crater to the devastated landscape of A-City. The silence that followed was deafening. Vaccine Man's remains lay scattered across the cracked earth—nothing but pieces of a defeated foe.
The surrounding heroes and civilians stared in shock. The destruction was contained, the threat neutralized.
Yoshino's cursed energy reserves hung low, but he stood upright.
From the shadows at Yoshino's feet, Nue emerged—a massive, owl-like winged hybrid with crackling electricity dancing across its feathers. It let out a piercing cry, talons extending as it awaited its master.
Without a word, Yoshino mounted the creature. Nue beat its powerful wings once, twice—and took off, soaring above the ruined skyline of A-City.
Yoshino's eyes widened as he spotted the massive figure—an enormous giant stomping through the devastated landscape, each step registering on the ground like a small earthquake. Its head cleared the skyline of A-City, its eyes burning with mindless destruction.
Nue squawked nervously beneath him.
This wasn't Vaccine Man. This was something far worse.
The giant turned its massive head, scanning the ruins.
Yoshino's fingers twitched, molding cursed energy into the precise technique of *Dismantle*. The giant's massive head was severed cleanly—its enormous body toppling over with a ground-shaking crash that leveled an entire block.
Before it could recover, Yoshino rained down slashes—Dismantle after Dismantle—each precise and devastating.
The giant's massive body crumbled in sections—arms detached, torso split clean, legs severed at the knees. Each slash was surgical, Yuji-style precision guided by Yoshino's enhanced intellect.
Within seconds the skyscraper-sized threat was nothing but a mountain of cut pieces. Blood—or whatever grotesque ichor the giant possessed—poured across the ruined city.
Nue circled above, electricity crackling.
With the immediate threats neutralized, Yoshino returned to his apartment. He collapsed onto his bed, exhaustion finally catching up to him. He hadn't just been fighting physically—the mental strain of using complex techniques like *Dismantle* with surgical precision took its toll.