In the Ninja Camp, Kaminari had go on patrol, leaving Edgeshot statio the base alone.

  Thankfully, sihe death of his master, Edgeshot had long grown aced to solitude. At least, that's what he used to believe, until meeting Kaminari.

  Now, for the first time in years, he found himself appreciating the pany of someone sharp and iive. Kaminari's ind and stant drive to create something new had, in a way, reminded him of the joys of mentorship.

  "Hm?"

  Edgeshot's attention was drawn to his ptop as a notification popped up on the s.

  "Last night, after 8 p.m., an arrest was made; the hero-killer rehended."

  "Stain…" Edgeshot muttered to himself, his sharp eyes narrowing. Of course, he knew of Stain—the infamous vilin who had bee notorious i years. He was equally aware of how dangerous Stain could be.

  "Endeavor, huh? Makes sense. If anyone could take down someone like Stain, it'd be him. But…" He paused, puzzled. "Isn't Endeavor's agen Tokyo? Why was he in Hosu City? Did he go there specifically to capture Stain?"

  Edgeshot scrolled further through the article while running through the situation in his mind. That's when the names of three familiar students caught his attention: Izuku Midoriya, Tenya Iida, and Shoto Todoroki.

  The news article briefly mentioheir involvement but didn't provide much detail. It only stated that the three Css 1-A students had entered Stain and were rescued by Endeavor at the critical moment.

  "They're Kaminari's cssmates, aren't they?"

  Still, Edgeshot didn't linger on their mention for long. Of the three, only Shoto Todoroki piqued his i, and that rimarily because of his background and exceptional talent.

  As he tinued scrolling, his eyes caught on a video thumbnail. Its view t had already surpassed 5.31 million, and something about it immediately demanded his attention.

  Edgeshot clicked py, feeling an odd sehat this video carried significe—that ign it might leave him with regrets.

  The video began with a narrator speaking in a calm, ral tone.

  "The Hero Killer, Stain.

  "Real name: Akaguro e. Inspired by All Might's debut, he resolved to bee a hero himself.

  "He ter enrolled in a private high school but quickly grew disillusioned. In his own words, 'The education system revealed the corruption at the core of what it meant to be a hero.'

  "Akaguro dropped out during his first year, and by the time he turned 20, he began advog for a return to the core ideals of heroism. He gave speeches oreets, calling for reform.

  "But in time, he came to believe that 'words hold no power,' and abahis approach. Over the decade, he taught himself bat skills and honed his teiques, preparing for what he saw as his duty.

  "During this period, both of his parents passed away. There are no indications of foul py regarding their deaths.

  "Stain's philosophy ters on the belief that heroism should not be driven by greed or personal gain. Only through self-sacrifice does one earn the right to be called a hero.

  "He regards modern heroes as frauduley figures. Through his purges, he seeks to awaken society to the true meaning of heroism."

  The video transitioo footage of Stain himself. On the s, he staggered forward, his glowing red eyes filled with iy. He bellowed, his voice hoarse yet anding:

  "Someone has to bathe in blood… Someone has to awakerue heroes!"

  "e, you impostors!"

  "The only one worthy of killing me is a true hero… All Might!"

  The video ended abruptly, leaving Edgeshot sitting in silence. His expression had grown tense and serious.

  He wasn't moved by Stain's vi, no first-rate hero would be so easily swayed. To reach their level, every pro hero had already fed their own ideals of heroism.

  But the implications of the video left Edgeshot deeply uled.

  "Who created this?" he muttered.

  It couldn't have been the gover. Nor did it seem like something Stain himself would produce. So who had the knowledge of Stain's past to pile this footage?

  The details presented in the video, some of which went back over thirty years were troubling in and of themselves.

  "The Hero Public Safety ission previously mentiohat Stain had aligned himself with the group that attacked USJ… what were they called? The League of Vilins."

  Edgeshot frowned. "Could they have produced this?"

  The timing of the video's release was suspicious. It had been uploaded immediately after Stain's capture, suggesting it had been prepared in advahat meant the events in Hosu City were not random, they were pnned.

  The more Edgeshot thought about it, the more he began to suspect that the League of Vilins wasn't as disanized as they initially seemed. Even their atta USJ might have been part of a rger strategy.

  "If the USJ attack was meant to annouheir preseo the world, then what's the purpose of this Stain i?"

  Edgeshot repyed the video, his sharp mind disseg its tents. When it ended again, a single word escaped his lips.

  "Ideology."

  "The goal this time is to iheir core beliefs into society… to give their anization a purpose—a soul."

  Edgeshot's gaze darkened as his thoughts accelerated.

  "Through this i, the League of Vilins has captured public attention once again. And with Stain's ideology broadcast so widely, they're likely to attract followers, many of whom could be dangerous in their ht."

  A sense of foreboding swept eshot. He could feel the storm brewing on the horizon.

  "Ring, ring, ring!"

  The sudden ringing of his phone jolted him from his thoughts. Gng at the s, he saw a message from Kaminari.

  "Southwest. A five-meter giant bear."

  Edgeshot didn't hesitate. In the instant, his body blurred, leaving a long afterimage behind as he shot out of the wooden like an arrow. He didn't even bother to open the door, phasing straight through it.

  "Kaminari, don't do anything reckless! Protect yourself, but don't kill the bear!"

  He remembered Kaminari's devastating move, Raikiri. Though All Might had sealed it at his request, Edgeshot couldn't be certain Kaminari would abide by that restri. Ultimately, the decision was Kaminari's to make.