Chapter 16 ~ Invasion of the Safe Zone.
The heavy doors of the U.A. bus hissed open, letting in the humid, overcast afternoon air.
Class 1-A stepped out onto the pavement, their voices immediately rising in a collective chorus of absolute awe. Before them stood a colossal, dome-shaped facility that looked more like a sprawling, futuristic theme park than a high school training ground. Massive glass panels curved upward toward the sky, enclosing diverse, distinct biomes—a towering mountain of loose rock, a sprawling cityscape ravaged by simulated fires, and a massive central lake.
Sakazuki descended the bus steps, the heavy tread of his boots striking the concrete with a solid thud. He stood apart from the excited huddle of his classmates. While Uraraka pointed excitedly at the different zones and Kaminari marveled at the sheer scale of the building, Sakazuki's dark eyes swept over the facility with cold, pragmatic calculation. He did not see a theme park. His gaze naturally mapped the structural load-bearing pillars, calculated the raw distance from the entrance to the central plaza, and automatically scanned the perimeter for emergency secondary exits.
"Everyone, I have been waiting for you!"
A figure in a bulky, white astronaut suit walked out to greet them at the main entrance. Uraraka gasped, practically vibrating in place, while Midoriya began muttering excitedly about the Space Hero, Thirteen.
Sakazuki observed the rescue hero with quiet, undivided attention. He knew exactly who Thirteen was. More importantly, he knew the nature of her quirk: Black Hole. It was a power capable of absorbing and disintegrating any physical matter into absolute nothingness. It was, by its very definition, a terrifyingly destructive force.
As the students gathered around the hero, Shota Aizawa stepped up beside Thirteen. Sakazuki, having naturally positioned himself near the front of the group to maintain a clear line of sight, stood merely a few feet away from the two teachers.
"Where is All Might?" Aizawa asked, his voice dropped to a low, frustrated whisper. "He was supposed to meet us here."
Thirteen leaned in slightly, keeping her voice equally hushed. "It seems he did too much hero work on his commute this morning. He ran out of time. He is resting in the lounge right now."
Sakazuki's sharp eyes shifted slightly beneath the brim of his white cap. He caught the exchange clearly. A heavy, critical thought formed in his mind. The Symbol of Peace exhausted his operational limit before a scheduled academic deployment. Relying so heavily on a single, overburdened individual to act as the ultimate deterrent is a catastrophic structural flaw. When the Symbol is absent, the shield drops.
Aizawa sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "That is the height of irrationality. Whatever. Let us just begin."
Thirteen turned back to face the eager class, raising her thickly gloved hands. "Before we begin, let me say one thing... or two... or three..."
The hero paused, her posture straightening. The playful tone vanished, replaced by a deep, unwavering seriousness. "As I am sure many of you are aware, my quirk is called Black Hole. I can suck up and tear apart any material. However, it is a power that can easily be used to kill people."
The excited chatter among the students instantly died down. The heavy reality of the words hung over them.
"Some of you possess powers that are just as deadly," Thirteen continued, looking over the diverse group of teenagers. "In our superhuman society, quirks are strictly certified and regulated, which creates the illusion of a safe, controlled world. But please, never forget that it only takes one wrong step, one lapse in concentration, or one moment of unchecked emotion for your power to become a lethal weapon that destroys innocent lives."
Standing in his pristine white suit, Sakazuki closed his eyes. He gave a slow, deliberate nod.
It was the most profound, logical statement a teacher had made since his arrival at U.A. High School. Sakazuki understood that burden better than anyone present. His magma was not meant to bind, to stun, or to gently subdue. It was a natural disaster incarnate, designed fundamentally for absolute eradication. The mental toll of holding a volcano within his own veins, of constantly maintaining an iron grip on his own temper to ensure he did not reduce his surroundings to ash, was immense.
She understands the true weight of a lethal ability, Sakazuki thought, opening his eyes to look at the astronaut-suited hero with genuine, profound respect. When this exercise concludes, I must find a moment to speak with her privately. A conversation regarding the necessary mental discipline to wield such a power in a civilian society would be highly beneficial.
"Today, you will learn how to use your quirks to save lives!" Thirteen declared, bowing deeply to the class. "Thank you for listening so patiently!"
The students erupted into cheers, their enthusiasm returning full force.
But just as Aizawa opened his mouth to direct them toward the first zone, a sharp, unnatural sound echoed through the massive dome.
Click.
The bright, sprawling overhead lights that illuminated the USJ suddenly flickered violently. A second later, they died out completely, plunging the massive facility into an eerie, dim twilight. The low, constant hum of the massive ventilation systems ground to a sudden halt.
"What happened?" Jiro asked, looking up at the darkened glass ceiling. "A power outage?"
Down at the bottom of the long, sweeping staircase, in the center of the main plaza, the water in the decorative fountain suddenly began to sputter. The air pressure in the dome shifted, growing heavy and thick.
Sakazuki's eyes snapped toward the plaza.
A small, concentrated point of deep, purplish-black fog materialized in front of the fountain. It did not drift like normal smoke. It tore outward, expanding silently and rapidly into a massive, swirling vortex that seemed to rip the very fabric of space apart.
"Gather together and do not move!" Aizawa barked, his voice suddenly sharp and laced with absolute urgency. He stepped forward, placing himself between the students and the stairs. "Thirteen, protect the students!"
The students froze, confusion washing over their faces.
From the center of the dark, swirling portal, a pale, unnaturally thin hand reached out, gripping the empty air. A young man stepped through the fog. His face was entirely obscured by a severed, disembodied hand clutching his features.
Immediately behind him stepped a towering, grotesque monstrosity. It possessed a massive, heavily muscled body, dark skin, and a horrific, exposed brain that pulsed visibly on top of its head.
And then, the floodgates opened.
Dozens upon dozens of heavily armed, malicious figures began to pour out of the purple mist. Men and women with mutated limbs, carrying heavy iron pipes, rusted blades, and sparking quirks. They flooded the central plaza like a swarm of dark insects, their aggressive, predatory eyes looking up the stairs toward the isolated class of freshmen.
"Is this like the entrance exam?" Kirishima asked, taking a hesitant step forward, a nervous smile forming on his face. "Has the training started already?"
"Do not move!" Aizawa roared, his hand reaching up to grab the specialized goggles resting around his neck. He pulled them over his eyes, his dark hair already beginning to defy gravity. "Those are not holograms or training robots. Those are real villains!"
The word struck the class like a physical blow. The nervous smiles vanished. Uraraka gasped, grabbing her own arms. Midoriya trembled, his green eyes wide with sudden, paralyzing fear as the sheer number of criminals continued to multiply in the plaza below. The reality of the situation—that they were trapped in a dark, isolated dome with an army of people who intended to kill them—began to crush their spirits.
As the students instinctively took a terrified step backward, seeking the safety of their teachers, a single figure moved against the tide.
Sakazuki took one heavy, measured step forward.
He stood at the very edge of the top stair, his broad shoulders casting a dark silhouette against the dim light. There was no fear in his pitch-black eyes. There was no panic, no hesitation, and no surprise.
He looked down at the sprawling horde of criminals infecting the pristine training ground. Slowly, he raised his black-gloved right hand, resting his fingers against the crisp brim of his white military cap. His expression hardened into a mask of pure, unforgiving stone.
This is not a random attack, Sakazuki deduced, his mind instantly shifting into an absolute, lethal combat state. The villains came here themselves. Then we must make them bear the consequences of their actions.