"You… that student… what on earth is he…?"
Masata's sudden, overwhelming transformation left Ms. Joke completely stunned.
She knew Masata's Quirk involved magma and elemental abilities, but what she had just witnessed had nothing to do with simple firepower.
"To be honest," Aizawa said calmly, "even I don't know anymore."
Seeing Masata safely resolve the crisis, Aizawa returned to his usual indifferent expression.
"I can't see the limits of his strength anymore."
"Eh?! That's impossible! He's still just a student!"
Ms. Joke stared at him in disbelief.
"Even if he won first place in the Sports Festival, he shouldn't be stronger than you, Eraser, right?"
She knew Aizawa's strength very well. Although he wasn't flashy, he was considered a top-tier hero in Japan. The only reason he wasn't more famous was because he chose to teach at U.A.
"In the Wild Battle," Aizawa said quietly, "that mysterious hero… was him."
This information wasn't a secret among professional heroes in Tokyo. Since Ms. Joke was trustworthy, Aizawa didn't bother hiding it.
Ms. Joke fell silent.
She had watched that battle live.
Masata's fight against AFO had completely shattered her understanding of what "human" meant.
From that perspective, Aizawa hadn't exaggerated at all.
As for the change in magma color, that was normal. Many Quirks evolved as their users grew stronger.
Masata was no exception.
They stopped discussing it and returned their attention to the battlefield.
Although Masata had dodged the barrage, nearly three hundred people were surrounding him.
So many Quirks attacking at once…
Even Masata shouldn't be able to handle that easily.
Especially since this exam strictly restricted his elemental abilities.
Large-scale techniques were impossible to use.
But Masata himself looked relaxed.
He watched the crowd slowly closing in on him, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"What? Out of balls already?"
After the previous barrage, everyone's six balls had been used up.
Now, they were clearly preparing for close combat.
"Since my goal is already achieved…"
Masata glanced around.
Many of them hesitated.
Some pushed others forward.
Some secretly backed away.
No one truly wanted to be the first to charge.
It bored him.
As heroes, they should be good at turning despair into courage.
But these people?
They didn't even have the courage to fight properly.
Cracking his neck, Masata lost all interest in talking.
"Scram, you small fry."
His eyes sharpened.
A terrifying aura burst out from his body.
The ground around him shattered.
Cracks spread in every direction.
Rubble rolled and collapsed.
Boom.
Boom.
Soft sounds echoed.
One after another, students collapsed.
Whether they were standing nearby or hiding in the shadows, waiting to steal victories…
All of them rolled their eyes back and fell unconscious.
In the center of the battlefield—
Only Masata remained standing.
"T-This kid's aura is getting more terrifying…"
In the stands, Aizawa inhaled sharply.
He had always known Masata possessed a mental-pressure ability.
But this was the first time he had seen it in action.
Without lifting a finger…
Three hundred elite students from across the country were eliminated.
In all his years as a hero, Aizawa had never seen such terrifying spiritual pressure.
Not even from All Might.
Beside him, Ms. Joke had completely lost her smile.
She could only pray that her students wouldn't run into Masata.
With their personalities, it would be a disaster.
"Ah… someone's been eliminated…"
Outside the venue, Murayama Ryo stared drowsily at his laptop.
He had just been dozing off.
But in the next second, he jolted awake.
"304 people disqualified?! What just happened?!"
In all his years as an examiner, he had never seen anything like this.
He immediately switched on the surveillance feed.
His voice was broadcast across the entire venue.
Within minutes, more than 300 candidates were eliminated.
It was a devastating blow to everyone.
"There's a monster in this exam!"
"This is terrifying… I want to go home."
Despair spread quickly among the candidates.
Many of them lost all confidence.
But not everyone reacted that way.
"That was definitely Masata!"
Chacha immediately thought of him.
Masata had once explained Conqueror-like pressure to her.
Only that kind of power could wipe out so many people instantly.
"We can't fall behind!"
Yaoyorozu nodded seriously.
After exchanging determined looks, the two continued hunting for targets.
"Well… I'm awake now."
Murayama Ryo rubbed his eyes.
"Igarashi Masata eliminated 304 opponents… but he hasn't passed yet."
"Because he didn't hit their targets with balls."
"So the next stage will be even more intense."
Masata hadn't used any balls.
So none of those eliminations counted.
If he passed so easily, the exam would be boring.
He clearly wanted to enjoy himself.
"What?! He's still not done?!"
"Is he planning to wipe us all out?!"
"I'm taking this exam again next year…"
The remaining candidates fell into despair.
The monster wasn't leaving.
He wasn't giving them any way out.
Of course, not everyone was afraid.
"That magma bastard really loves showing off!"
Bakugo's face was terrifyingly dark.
He looked like he wanted to tear Masata apart.
"Haha, don't say that," Kirishima laughed.
"His strength is obvious. We should focus on how we're going to pass."
Bakugo's face only grew darker.
"Now's not the time for this!"
Kaminari suddenly shouted.
"There's a villain!"
They were standing on an overpass.
Across from them stood a student in Shiketsu High's uniform, staring coldly at them.
"Huh? A villain?"
Bakugo looked over with disdain.
Then he grinned.
"Then I'll blow him to pieces!"