"What is going on here?!"
For the first time, Aizawa Shouta began to doubt his own Quirk.
Shouldn't Etsuha's abilities have been erased already?
Then what were these massive icicles in front of him?!
His eyes were clearly active—his Erasure was working. And yet, nothing about Etsuha's power had changed.
Not just Aizawa—every student who had just learned about his Quirk was now staring at the battlefield in confusion. Hadn't they been told that Aizawa could nullify any Quirk he saw? Then why was Etsuha still freely manipulating ice?
Etsuha, however, had no intention of explaining.
The moment Aizawa retreated, Etsuha's gaze locked onto him. His muscles tensed, and with a sharp burst of speed, he shot forward—
Aizawa instantly felt the temperature around him plummet by dozens of degrees.
Fortunately, Etsuha's close-combat skills weren't overwhelmingly dominant. Relying on his honed instincts, Aizawa twisted his body and narrowly dodged the ice attack from behind.
But in the next instant—
His expression froze.
At some point, the ground beneath him had turned completely smooth. Surrounding him were several tall, rectangular ice mirrors, standing like walls.
"This is a technique I developed over the past few days," Etsuha said calmly.
The idea had come to him by chance—an inspiration drawn from a story where a character used ice mirrors to attack from every direction.
Etsuha couldn't replicate that ability exactly.
But he could create something even more dangerous.
With his power, each ice mirror could serve as an extension of himself.
Each one… a turret.
Aizawa's pupils contracted.
He understood immediately—and tried to escape.
Too late.
The mirrors activated.
From each surface, massive ice spikes burst forth, surging outward like living vines. In an instant, the entire battlefield was flooded with jagged, razor-sharp ice!
RUMBLE—!
The ground trembled violently as towering ice spikes erupted in every direction, each one thicker than a human body.
Even with Aizawa's evasive maneuvers, he couldn't avoid them all. Several spikes grazed him, tearing through his clothes and leaving streaks of blood.
"Are you serious?! He has a move like this too?!"
The students of Class A were stunned.
Thank goodness Etsuha hadn't used this during the boss battle—otherwise, most of them would've been wiped out instantly. Only powerhouses like Shoto Todoroki or Bakugo Katsuki might have stood a chance.
What shocked them even more—
Aizawa was being pushed back.
The once-composed Pro Hero now looked genuinely pressured inside Etsuha's icy domain.
The battlefield had completely transformed. Ice spikes filled the air, turning the entire training ground into a frozen hellscape.
And within it—
Aizawa was the target.
Without hesitation, Etsuha condensed several dense spheres of ice and hurled them forward.
Bang! Bang!
The ice projectiles crashed down like miniature meteors, smashing into the ground with explosive force. Even the shockwaves alone were enough to cause serious damage.
"Isn't his ability supposed to be weakened?!" Aizawa's expression darkened.
These attacks were too powerful—and too widespread. He couldn't clear them all in time. If this continued, even he would start taking real damage from the cold.
No more delays.
Aizawa kicked off an incoming ice spike, using it as a foothold. Gripping his capture weapon, he launched himself into the air, quickly locating Etsuha's position.
"Still not frozen, huh?" Etsuha remarked.
Even under the limiter, Aizawa was still Aizawa. His body, honed through years of training, allowed him to evade attacks that would have frozen anyone else solid.
In midair, Aizawa's movements became fluid and precise. The chaotic forest of ice spikes turned into stepping stones beneath his feet. He weaved through them effortlessly, closing the distance in a matter of seconds.
Then—
He arrived in front of Etsuha.
Whoosh!
Bandages lashed forward, accompanied by a swift, decisive punch.
Etsuha's Sharingan spun.
He stepped back—just as an ice spear shot up from beneath his feet, thrusting straight toward Aizawa.
Aizawa immediately abandoned his attack and dodged.
At the same time, his gaze sharpened again—Erasure activated.
But—
The ice spear didn't weaken at all.
With a metallic clang, it stabbed forward, forcing Aizawa to retreat.
"Why can't my Quirk erase your freezing?!" Aizawa demanded, disbelief creeping into his voice.
Once or twice might be coincidence.
But this?
This was undeniable.
If he couldn't erase Etsuha's ability, defeating him would be nearly impossible.
Etsuha smiled faintly, pressing the attack.
"It's simple."
His voice was calm.
"My freezing ability… isn't my Quirk."
"I—!"
Aizawa's eyes widened.
But before he could respond—
He landed.
And realized—
He was surrounded.
BOOM!
Dozens of ice spikes erupted simultaneously from every direction, piercing into the ground where he had stood just moments earlier and blasting a massive crater into the field.
Aizawa inhaled sharply.
If he'd been even a fraction of a second slower…
he would've been skewered.
Now, with the entire area overtaken by ice, even finding stable footing had become a challenge.
After a brief pause, Aizawa exhaled.
"…That's enough."
He raised his hand.
"I surrender."