Chapter 108 (Vigilantes)

Things That Live in the Abyss (深淵に棲むもの) is the one hundred and eighth chapter of Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court's My Hero Academia: Vigilantes.

Summary
Koichi is shocked by Number 6’s new monstrous form, which he declares is built to withstand his high-speed movement, as he prepares to execute his true speed. In this state which he dubs as the “Hi-Crawler”, Number 6 rushes toward Koichi at blazing speeds, ready to slice up his legs with his claws, which Koichi just barely reacts to.

Koichi thinks about how he knows he slows down to attack with his hands so just needs to keep a safe distance, only for Number 6 to come at him with a headbutt, followed by a body slam, taking advantage of his hesitations to come at him with a flurry of slices. Even worse is Koichi realizes Number 6 hasn’t been slowing down at all, and has been eating away at all of Koichi’s vulnerable spots, which he realizes means he’s dead soon.

The O'Clock illusion, meanwhile, advises Number 6 against his current tactics. He explains that while typically, the acceleration state of Overclock would overload the pressure of an individual’s body, thanks to all his current modifications, he is now able to withstand the limitations thanks to his remodelled muscular structure and extra eyes, able to remain in the acceleration state permanently and become the ultimate predator.

However, he reminds him his opponent is "The Crawler." Thanks to his years as a vigilante, rather than like traditional heroes and police who make the first move against villains, Koichi has always been on the defensive side, and has experience taking the first hit, meaning that he has indirectly developed a “flight or fight” response to any fight: a “variant fighter”, trained to counter any attack, which he once again manages to accomplish during Number 6’s assault.

An increasingly tired Koichi is surprised even he was able to survive all that, while “O’Clock” states that rather then overwhelming him with speed, to try another strategy, the true purpose of “Phase 6.”

Chapter Notes

 * It is revealed Number 6's current beast form, which is known as the "Hi-Crawler", allows him to bypass all the limitations using Overclock would have to his normal body, able to permanently stay in the acceleration state.
 * Koichi is able to perfectly counter Number 6's attacks due to his years as a vigilante granting him the unconscious experience to react to and defend against any threat.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Number 6
 * Koichi Haimawari
 * O’Clock (All For One's disguise, illusion)

Trivia

 * This chapter was initially titled The Variant (異形の者) but was amended for the volume release.