Chapter 37: The Steel Phantom
"START!" Midnight's sharp command tore through the tense atmosphere, officially igniting the chaotic battlefield.
Instantly, the earth shook as dozens of teams—a massive tidal wave of desperate, ambitious students—charged from every direction directly toward the center of the arena. The collective battle cries of the entire first-year roster echoed like a thunderous storm, all of them violently hungry for the ten-million-point prize resting on Sakazuki's forehead.
The Volcanic Fortress did not move a single inch.
Standing atop his human chariot, Sakazuki slowly raised his head. His dark eyes narrowed, flashing with a chilling, predatory gleam. He activated his quirk, the dense muscles of his thick arms instantly transforming into glowing, superheated magma. Droplets of molten rock dripped heavily from his elbows, hitting the dry dirt track below with a terrifying, violent hiss. He did not launch an attack; he simply projected a suffocating, lethal wave of raw ambient heat outward, paired with an uncompromising glare that felt like a physical wall of impending death.
The psychological and physical impact was instantaneous.
The front runners of the charging herd instinctively slammed on the brakes. Students violently crashed into each other in their desperate attempt to stop their own momentum. A massive, empty circle quickly formed around Sakazuki's team. Primal survival instincts violently overrode their competitive ambition; stepping into that blistering "melt zone" was no longer a game of points, it was absolute suicide.
A loud, mocking laugh suddenly shattered the terrified silence.
"Is this the limit of Class A's supposed bravery? How utterly pathetic!"
Breaking through the frozen crowd, Neito Monoma confidently rode forward on his own chariot, flanked closely by two other fully coordinated teams from Class 1-B. The shadow alliance had arrived. Monoma sat tall, his calculating eyes locked onto the magma user.
From the adjacent Class B formation, Yosetsu Awase pointed an accusing finger directly at the metallic student supporting Sakazuki's right flank. "You traitor!" Awase shouted, his voice dripping with theatrical betrayal. "You threw away the pride of Class B just to ride the coattails of the ten million!"
Tetsutetsu's metallic skin tightened, but his expression remained fiercely resolute. "Say what you want," Tetsutetsu yelled back, his voice booming across the dirt track. "I am now part of this team, and I will definitely protect Sakazuki's points!"
Monoma tilted his head, a dark, vicious smirk stretching across his face. "You don't understand any language other than a strong fist capable of shaking your head... and that is exactly what I will give you."
Without another word of warning, the coordinated ambush commenced.
The solid dirt directly beneath the Volcanic Fortress violently erupted. Thick, thorny vines shot up from the underground, courtesy of Ibara Shiozaki from the rear lines. The tough green vines rapidly coiled tightly around the ankles and calves of Tetsutetsu, Kirishima, and Shoji, firmly anchoring the heavy team to the ground.
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed. He aimed his right palm downward, intending to instantly incinerate the restricting flora. He unleashed a concentrated burst of magma.
Suddenly, Kosei Tsuburaba, acting as one of Monoma's front horses, took a deep breath and blew sharply. A thick, invisible wall of Solid Air materialized instantly between the magma and the vines. The superheated rock slammed heavily against the invisible barrier, flattening out and sliding down the transparent surface like thick, glowing water.
Tsuburaba flashed a confident grin. "A magma quirk? Not as worrisome as rumored."
Simultaneously, Itsuka Kendo's team silently rushed the Volcanic Fortress from the rear, perfectly targeting their supposed blind spot. Before they could launch their strike, the flesh on the back of Mezo Shoji's neck morphed, opening a large, unblinking human eye that stared directly at them.
Kendo's teammates flinched backward in horror. "Monster!!!" one of them screamed instinctively.
Shoji did not turn his head, replying in a flat, deadpan tone. "That hurts my pride, you know."
At the front, Tetsutetsu and Kirishima roared in unison. Pushing their respective quirks to their absolute limits, the two hardened vanguards flexed their legs, utilizing raw, uncompromising physical strength to physically tear the thick underground vines into shreds.
"Sakazuki, be careful!" Tetsutetsu warned loudly, his steel face locked on the approaching vanguard. "The biggest surprise in that charging team is Monoma! You can never know which quirk he will use in a fight. I have no idea what he copied last!"
Sakazuki did not hesitate. He thrust his right arm forward, firing a massive, devastating wave of searing magma directly at Monoma to end the confrontation immediately.
Tsuburaba sharply exhaled once more, generating a second, thicker wall of Solid Air right in front of his team. The heavy magma crashed against it, splashing harmlessly onto the dirt.
"Not while I am around, magma boy!" Tsuburaba taunted, completely neutralizing the lethal projectile.
The brief delay was all Monoma needed. His chariot closed the gap, bringing him into point-blank range. Monoma smiled wildly, keeping his right hand casually hidden behind his back.
Sakazuki remained stoic. He raised both of his thick arms in a tight, boxer-like defensive guard. Intense, blistering white steam violently hissed from his forearms. His defense was absolute; even brushing against his skin right now would inflict severe, third-degree burns.
But as Monoma pulled his hidden fist forward, the eyes of Kirishima, Tetsutetsu, and Sakazuki widened in sheer disbelief.
A dull, metallic sheen rapidly materialized across the right half of Monoma's face, instantly spreading down his neck and completely engulfing his arm in solid steel. He had secretly touched Tetsutetsu before the battle even began.
Monoma drove his steel-hardened fist straight through the agonizing wall of steam. The metal knuckles bypassed the searing heat entirely, connecting brutally with Sakazuki's jaw.
CRACK.
The heavy impact echoed across the silent arena. A collective, breathless gasp ripped through the tens of thousands of spectators in the stands. Sakazuki's head violently snapped back, his eyes widening in a rare, profound moment of genuine shock. His impenetrable defense had been utterly shattered by his own teammate's stolen power.
Before Sakazuki could recover his equilibrium, the battlefield violently shifted again.
The solid dirt beneath Kirishima, Tetsutetsu, and Shoji instantly lost its physical integrity. Juzo Honenuki pressed his hands into the earth, his Softening quirk turning the firm track into a viscous, bubbling swamp of deep mud. The heavy foundation of the Volcanic Fortress violently lost its balance, the three students sinking into the liquid earth and staggering wildly to stay upright.
In that precise, chaotic fraction of a second, a small, green blur streaked past Sakazuki's ear.
Setsuna Tokage had stealthily detached her right hand. Flying through the air like a guided missile, her floating fingers precisely swiped across Sakazuki's forehead.
The ten million points were gone.
The stadium erupted into absolute pandemonium. The invincible magma dreadnought had just been brought to his knees by the flawless, terrifying coordination of Class 1-B. The true war had only just begun.
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