"He took down Shindō Ryō in an instant…"
The remaining candidates stared in disbelief, especially the students from Masterpiece Academy.
Shindō Ryō was their strongest fighter—their number one. His strength had already been acknowledged in the previous battles. Yet now, he had been defeated effortlessly by this strange man in black.
Watching Masata casually toss Shindō aside and straighten his posture, everyone who had thought his outfit looked ridiculous now felt something completely different.
The more they looked at him, the more mysterious and powerful he seemed.
"Does that headgear have something to do with his Quirk?"
"Is that black robe hiding something?"
If Masata knew what they were thinking, he would probably burst out laughing.
Invisible intimidation—the deadliest kind.
Crack… crack…
The sound of freezing ice suddenly spread.
A massive iceberg surged toward Masata.
Since he wasn't allowed to use his Quirk, he had no intention of blocking it head-on. With a simple backward step, he dodged easily.
"Hurry and evacuate the civilians! Leave this to the fighters!"
Todoroki shouted urgently, using his ice to separate Masata's group from the victims.
He knew the barrier wouldn't last long, so he immediately warned his classmates.
After all, the core of this assessment was still rescue.
As long as they could safely evacuate civilians under villain pressure, they would pass.
Hearing his voice, the weaker candidates hurried to move the victims, while the stronger ones stayed behind to hold off the "villains."
Boom!
The ice wall suddenly trembled.
Dense cracks spread across its surface like spider webs.
Then—
Crash!
The thick ice wall shattered into countless fragments.
"What?!"
Todoroki's eyes widened.
That wall had been created with charged power. Even Gang Orca shouldn't have been able to break it so quickly.
Ice shards scattered everywhere.
Behind them stood Masata, his fist still extended.
"So this is the level of U.A.'s top students?" Masata mocked.
His voice sounded deep and oppressive.
Todoroki clenched his teeth.
"Damn it…"
Flames flickered in his left hand.
Just as he was about to counterattack—
A powerful wind pressure crashed down from above.
"Be blown away by the wind!"
A violent tornado mixed with rubble swept across the area.
All nearby "villains" were dragged into the storm and hurled into the walls.
Since the victims here had already been evacuated, Inasa Yelan went all out without restraint.
"Villains again?! This exam is intense!"
Inasa hovered in midair, wind blasting from beneath his feet, his arm still raised.
"Todoroki! I'm here to help!"
Now that their misunderstanding had been resolved, Inasa treated Todoroki like a close friend.
Seeing his "brother" in danger, he rushed in without hesitation.
Masata wasn't affected.
His Observation Haki had already sensed Inasa's movement.
The instant the attack began, Masata slipped away.
Gang Orca relied on his massive physique to withstand the shock and steadied himself.
At this point, he had no intention of interfering.
If he joined, this exam would become hell-level difficulty.
He decided to watch instead.
"Let's clear out these villains first! It'll get easier after that!"
Descending slowly, Inasa landed beside Todoroki.
The subordinates he had just blown away were already incapacitated.
"Don't relax," Todoroki warned. "That man in black is extremely dangerous."
He had noticed something unsettling.
Masata had disappeared again.
And judging from how he shattered the ice wall—
Even without a Quirk, his strength and speed were terrifying.
This was the most troublesome type of opponent.
Fast. Powerful. One punch could end a fight.
"I wonder… is it really okay to just stand here chatting?"
A lazy voice sounded behind them.
Both of them froze and spun around.
Standing there was Masata, still wearing his hood.
Even through the thick fabric, they could feel his mocking gaze.
"Wind!"
Inasa reacted instantly.
A compressed blast of wind formed in his palm and shot toward Masata's chest.
"This breeze is for blowing out birthday candles?"
Masata scoffed.
He clenched his fist and punched forward.
Snap!
Like a balloon bursting, the wind sphere shattered instantly.
His fist continued forward.
Boom!
Despite the restraint gear, the impact sent Inasa flying into the ruins.
"Are you okay?!" Todoroki shouted.
But Masata didn't give him time.
"Do you really have time to look back right now?"
Masata's free hand shot forward.
Before Todoroki could react—
It was too late.
Masata's grip clamped onto his shoulder like iron claws.
With a twist, he flung Todoroki away.
Todoroki crashed into the ruins beside Inasa, kicking up massive clouds of dust.
"At this level," Masata said coldly, brushing his hands together,
"you still want to become heroes?"
His tone was filled with undisguised arrogance.