When Masata saw Toga standing there without moving at all, his heart tightened.
From a distance, he could tell she had completely given up resisting.
Even if she struggled a little, that would've been better than standing there waiting to be eliminated.
What kind of trouble was this?!
There was no way Masata was going to watch her get knocked out.
He didn't care whether the target on her body would be damaged by the heat.
Magma surged out from beneath his feet, burning a footprint into the ground.
"Boom!"
Like a bullet fired from a gun, Masata shot forward at a speed invisible to the naked eye.
"What?!"
"Why is there another gust of wind?!"
The surrounding examinees had no idea what was happening.
They only saw a blur in front of their eyes, followed by a scorching heatwave rushing past.
Unlike Inasa's hurricane, which only swept away the balls, this heatwave directly knocked people off their feet.
Yelan Inasa, who was extremely sensitive to air currents, noticed this sudden "intruder" immediately.
However, he didn't take it seriously.
The world was full of strange Quirks.
And he had absolute confidence in his own strength.
He increased his output.
Instantly, the hurricane grew even more violent, and the balls flew faster and faster.
But Masata was faster.
In less than a second, he crossed an entire block and arrived in front of Toga.
Seeing the incoming storm of balls, Masata quickly calculated.
There was no way they could escape in time.
"Big Spitfire!"
If he couldn't dodge it, he would block it!
Without needing to gather energy, his left arm instantly transformed into a massive lava palm, completely covering both himself and Toga.
As for the heat and unpleasant smell…
He could only let her endure it.
There was no better option in an emergency.
But surprisingly, Toga showed no dissatisfaction at all.
The moment she saw Masata appear, her dull expression vanished.
Her eyes lit up with excitement.
"It's so big!!!"
Without hesitation, she rushed straight into Masata's arms.
Startled, Masata hurriedly lifted his other arm, afraid the magma might hurt her.
"This is so amazing! I love it!!"
Masata's entire body was glowing red now.
Crimson magma flowed along his arms.
To Toga, it was like the most beautiful poison in the world.
Even though his body temperature was still extremely high, she hugged him tightly and showed no intention of letting go.
At that moment, the storm of balls crashed down.
Black marks appeared on the lava palm as the balls struck it repeatedly.
But none of them could break through.
This time, Masata hadn't used ultra-high-temperature magma.
So it didn't turn golden like during previous battles.
Instead, it remained dark red.
Although its explosive power was weaker, it was nearly solid.
Perfect for defense.
Even with wind enhancement, the balls couldn't penetrate it.
Crackling sounds echoed everywhere.
The rain of balls smashed into helpless candidates.
At the same time, sharp beeping alarms rang nonstop as targets were activated.
"Ah! I missed it!"
"Stop complaining—I'm eliminated!"
"Same here!"
Screams filled the area, drowning out even the impact sounds.
Masata didn't feel any sympathy.
Anyone who stepped onto this stage had to be prepared for elimination.
With such a low pass rate, it was obvious that the hero profession was undergoing stricter selection.
The nonstop crying started to irritate him.
Failing once just meant trying again in a few months.
Was there really a need to cry like this?
"Shut up."
His eyes sharpened.
A domineering aura flooded the field.
In an instant, the wailers collapsed, their eyes rolling back as they fainted.
Toga, who was still clinging to him, was unaffected.
Masata could now control his Conqueror's aura precisely.
He naturally excluded her.
When the last ball fell, he withdrew his magma arm.
Silence followed.
The battlefield was a mess.
Fainted bodies covered the ground.
Only then did people realize how fierce the battle had been.
On top of the building, Inasa was also affected.
His head spun briefly.
But his strong will kept him upright.
He didn't fall.
"Those people… they're from U.A.!"
Masata's distinctive combat suit made him instantly recognizable.
"Hey!! U.A. student! Are you okay?!"
With the wind's assistance, Inasa jumped down from the building.
Despite his massive build, he landed silently.
Which part of me looks not okay?!
Masata stared at the hot-blooded idiot in front of him, feeling a thousand complaints rise in his heart.
Just his appearance alone put him ahead of most troublemakers.
"You're the guy we met at the entrance, right? Sorry about earlier! I haven't even asked your name!"
Now that he was sure he'd passed, Inasa looked relaxed and eager to chat.
You don't even know my name?!
Masata was speechless.
Ever since becoming famous, people usually recognized him instantly.
Inasa was the first person to ask directly.
Then again…
With a brain like this, he probably couldn't remember names anyway.
Seeing Inasa about to bow deeply again, Masata quickly grabbed his shoulder.
"My name is Igarashi Masata. Please take care of me."