[MHCISQD] Chapter 281: Owe a Favor

Nomu's reaction was incredibly fast. His slender arm blocked Renault's fist, but he was still sent flying by the merciless punch, crashing into the wall of the building behind him.

Inside the building, it had long been emptied due to the ongoing battle, so Renault didn't have to worry about harming innocent people.

"Cough... Cough..."

Endeavor, lying on the ground, coughed up blood. He opened his unaffected right eye and saw the infuriating white helmet that appeared before him.

"So, it's you, huh? Cough... Cough..."

"I mean, Endeavor-san, I came all this way to help you. Can't you at least say thank you?" Renault shrugged helplessly, knowing full well Endeavor's personality. He didn't expect any words of gratitude from him.

"What about that Nomu?"

"He's over there." Renault pointed towards the distant wall. Although the Nomu had taken a punch that left its abdomen severely concaved, it quickly recovered once it crawled out of the building, its injuries healing rapidly.

"A stronger hero... has emerged."

Nomu, now on the ground, looked at Renault ahead and gradually raised his voice.

Both Renault and Endeavor could tell.

This guy was enjoying himself.

Though Endeavor was eager to join the fight, he needed some time to gather his strength after using his previous move and being injured by the opponent.

In the end, he could only look at Renault and say, "Evolto, be careful. That creature's regenerative ability is beyond imagination. I burned him to a pile of flesh earlier, but he still managed to recover."

"Oh?" Renault couldn't help but glance at Nomu a few more times before taking a step forward, heading towards him.

"I thought it was an intelligent Nomu, but it seems it's not the case. Just some amplified desire and obsession for killing heroes, huh? Let's see if you can pull it off."

A black hole suddenly appeared as Renault teleported once again, appearing behind Nomu.

"Hmm?"

Before Renault could even throw a punch, he realized that at the same moment he appeared, Nomu had already reacted and launched an attack from behind.

He swiftly dodged the arm swinging at an unscientific angle from Nomu's back. Renault extended his right hand and firmly caught it, then raised his hand and swung it downward.

*SZZZTTT!*

As the hand blade fell, one of Nomu's arms was directly severed, and dark red, almost black blood spurted out from the severed limb.

"AAAARRGGHHHH! HEROOO!"

Under the howl, Nomu retracted his arm, turned around, and in an instant his other arm extended with massive fingers spread wide attempting to grab Renault.

"Grabbing me?"

Renault reached out his hand and directly grabbed the extended arm, standing still and allowing Nomu to exert its strength.

Unfortunately for Nomu, even with its immense strength, it was impossible to hold Renault, who was wearing the Evolto armor.

With his free left hand, Renault took out a blue Fullbottle can and inserted it into the Driver.

*DRAGON!*

"Want to give this a try?"

*ROAAARRR!*

Accompanied by a dragon's roar, a deep-blue dragon head energy struck Nomu's chest. However, since one of his hands was caught by Renault, Nomu didn't have the opportunity to be launched away and took the full impact of the Dragon Fullbottle's attack, which had one of the most explosive forces among all the Fullbottles.

And within a few seconds, when the energy dissipated, Nomu's chest had already been pierced, revealing the skeletal structure inside.

With a swift kick, Nomu was sent flying.

Looking up, Renault glanced at the helicopter hovering nearby. After a moment's thought, he decided not to pursue it and instead approached Endeavor.

At that moment, Hawks had already helped Endeavor up who had blood covered his face, and his left eye remained tightly shut, stained with blood.

"How's your eye?" Renault asked.

"It's nothing..." Endeavor shook his head, then looked at the individual standing before him, someone whose identity was unknown but whose strength surpassed his own. Endeavor said, "That Nomu probably isn't dead yet."

"I know. Although the energy damage I caused is different, it can delay his recovery time to some extent, but only temporarily," Renault replied.

After saying that, Renault took out a fire-red Fullbottle and looked at Endeavor. "Endeavor, you're the Number One Hero, right?"

"...What do you mean?" Endeavor raised his head, staring straight at Renault, and asked in a deep voice.

Hawks raised an eyebrow, curious about the object Renault held in his hand.

"Now, it's being broadcasted live on television. This is your first dangerous battle since becoming Number One. If you lose this first battle, it will be a blow to everyone's morale. You understand all of this, don't you?" Renault explained.

"Lose?" Endeavor coldly chuckled at Renault and pushed Hawks, who was supporting him, away. Trembling, he stood up and said, "For me, there's only dying in battle, not losing."

After looking up and down at Endeavor, whose condition could only be described as gruesome, Renault nodded and said, "You have an impressive presence, but now you're no longer the match for that Nomu, right? The technique you used to turn it into minced meat probably won't work anymore. As for me, although I can defeat that thing, I believe it would be better for you to finish this battle. After all, I'm just an ordinary Pro Hero right now, whereas you are the Number One. Even though your current strength may not live up to that title, at least not yet."

"What do you mean?" Endeavor asked.

"It's simple." Renault showed the Phoenix bottle in his hand and said, "Phoenix, the mythical beast that controls flames, possesses the mighty power of fire and the strength to be reborn from the flames. If you want to become a True Number One, your current power won't be enough."

As Renault spoke, the body of the Nomu behind them had already regenerated, and its arms had grown back. Its eyes were fixated on Renault.

However, Renault paid no attention and simply gazed at Endeavor. "Are you up for it?"

"..."

Although the opponent wore a helmet, Endeavor didn't doubt the credibility of his words.

Shifting his gaze to the small bottle, observing the engraved Phoenix pattern on its transparent surface, Endeavor clenched his fist and said, "I owe you a favor."

Renault whistled and chuckled, saying, "Then I've made a profit."

After speaking, he shook the Fullbottle, pouring all its energy into Endeavor.

Hawks, sensing something, became alert and instantly flapped his wings, creating distance.

*BOOOM!*

A surging pillar of fire erupted from the ground, piercing through the clouds, and captivating the gaze of everyone present.