Ebony Blade read the report of Lizard Commando’s defeat by Josh, her expression a mixture of professional interest and lingering concern. The details were… unusual. The sheer force described, the distances involved, were almost unbelievable. What was even more strange was that they were unable to recover Lizard Commando's unconscious body from the site. It was as if he had simply vanished.

  Nearby, a hero known as Blue Lock leaned against a console, his posture radiating a casual arrogance that grated on Ebony Blade's nerves. He looked to be around Josh's age, with a similarly muscular build, black hair that brushed his neck, and piercing blue eyes that held a confident, almost smug smile. He wore a sleek, blue armored spandex suit paired with dark gray cargo pants, and a stylized, light blue lock symbol adorned the center of his chest.

  "So this kid Josh managed to take down a C-rank villain... by himself," he voiced his sarcasm while shaking his head. "Are you sure he and his girlfriend didn't set this up to punk us?"

  Ebony Blade's gray eyes narrowed, her gaze sharp. "Unless you can prove that group of teenagers can fake broken reptilian teeth and blood, their story has to be taken into consideration." She then let out a sigh and folded her arms. "And considering that all the nearby heroes were occupied with other villains, it is even more doubtful that those two would be able to steal credit for such handy work."

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  Blue Lock rolled his eyes, a gesture that did little to diminish his self-assured smirk. "Fine, you made your point," he reluctantly admitted. "But still... some high schooler beating a C-rank like Lizard Commando, even you have to admit that is a little hard to buy into." Ebony paused for a moment and shrugged, and then Blue Lock let out a deep breath. "Though... that still leaves the problem that this bastard is the fifth C-rank villain that just got reported this week."

  "Indeed..." Ebony Blade nodded. "Usually, most criminals start at the E or D rank tier, and only gradually move up in rank as they become stronger... but now we are dealing with C, and even B ranks that seem to come out of nowhere across the state, and if this continues..." She then grimaced. "Even the Hero League might eventually get overwhelmed."

  "Think they're involved again?" Blue Lock asked, the smirk finally fading from his face, replaced by a hint of apprehension.

  Ebony let out a weary huff. "It is likely... but right now we need to focus on finding Lizard Commando, and his potential employer, and hopefully it is just some power broker way in over their heads."