"After eating all that," Lock said with a grin, brushing the back of his hand across his mouth, "my power's about to surge."
He mimicked Natsu Dragneel's signature gesture, extinguishing a stray ember from his lips.
Everyone around him: "…"
No one knew what to say.
Eating fire? What kind of power even was that?
BOOM!
A thunderous crash echoed across the ruins.
The Iron Shark rose from the wreckage, his movements jerky and monstrous.
His charred skin gleamed with a sickly, molten sheen.
The whites of his eyes glowed in the smoke, hollow and furious—a monster straight out of a nightmare.
"Y-you… damn… brat…!" he roared, though the inside of his mouth was so scorched that his words came out slurred and broken.
All he could do was glare—eyes wild, bloodshot, unblinking.
Lock ignored him.
He exhaled softly and murmured to himself, his magic aura pulsing anew.
His body hummed with the power of flames devoured moments ago.
"Guess it's time to try out the ability built into this armor…"
Yandi: Red Lotus Blade.
Among the many armors that once belonged to Erza Scarlet, each had its own distinct technique.
This one was no exception.
Lock had only seen its name in his mind when he first acquired it.
Now, facing a villain like Iron Shark, he finally had the chance to test it.
The opponent's raw strength and defense were terrifying, yes—but he was also predictable.
Powerful, but clumsy.
Against Lock's speed, he was nothing more than a steel beast waiting to be dismantled.
A low rumble split the air as the Iron Shark charged, his massive frame shaking the ground with every step.
Dust and debris rippled outward, the impact alone enough to make the arena quake.
His jaw gnashed, the remains of his steel teeth glinting in the firelight.
Without his bite, he was resorting to what he did best—pure brute force.
"Too slow," Lock whispered.
He didn't retreat.
Instead, he lowered his stance, his flaming sword angled behind him.
His body relaxed, his breathing even.
The Iron Shark bore down on him—less than a meter away—eyes wide and filled with savage triumph.
And then—
Lock moved.
In one swift motion, he twisted at the waist, his entire body spinning with impossible grace.
The wind whipped around him; his movement carved a crescent trail of fire through the air.
He slid sideways, the Iron Shark's charge missing by inches.
Lock's foot struck the ground with a sharp crack.
Using the recoil, he launched himself forward like a cannon shot.
The afterimage he left behind lingered for half a heartbeat—
Then the real strike came.
The flames on his sword deepened to a searing crimson, nearly black at the edges.
The heat was so intense that the air itself warped, groaning under the pressure.
"Yandi—Red Lotus Blade!"
The sword slashed downward in a single blazing arc.
The Iron Shark's instincts screamed danger. He tried to halt his momentum—but his own mass betrayed him.
There was no room to dodge, no time to defend.
The slash struck home.
For an instant, everything turned red.
Then came the explosion.
BOOOOOOOM!
A column of fire erupted skyward, blossoming into a roaring mushroom cloud.
The shockwave shattered nearby windows, melting asphalt into molten sludge.
Where the Iron Shark stood, the very earth glowed orange, warped and bubbling from heat.
The air shimmered as if reality itself had caught fire.
"AAAGHHH—IMPOSSIBLE!"
The villain's screams echoed through the inferno.
"Only… All Might… should have that kind of… power—!"
He thrashed wildly, engulfed in the flames of Lock's magic.
The agony tore through him, melting the arrogance right off his face.
Lock watched quietly, the flames reflected in his eyes.
"Still struggling?" he murmured coldly.
He clenched his fist, feeding more magic into the blaze.
The flames brightened, tightening their hold on the Iron Shark like chains forged in hellfire.
This wasn't ordinary fire—it was magic flame, shaped and sustained by Lock's will.
As long as he poured in energy, it would never fade.
"You murdered people. You slaughtered Heroes. You think I'd let that end quickly?"
The firestorm raged on.
Seconds stretched into minutes.
The Iron Shark's movements slowed, then stilled.
His molten armor cracked and flaked off.
At last, he dropped to his knees, his charred body collapsing in defeat.
He wasn't dead—but he was finished.
Silence.
The entire arena stared, unable to process what they'd just seen.
Shock had long since given way to awe.
He had actually done it.
Lock—
a second-year student—
had just taken down a villain that even Gang Orca, the No.10 Pro Hero, couldn't beat.
The Iron Shark, a murderer of Pros and police alike, was nothing more than a smoldering heap at his feet.
No one else had even landed a blow.
For a long time, no one spoke.
Then, from the command platform, Muliang finally exhaled and shook his head with a helpless smile.
He'd been wrong.
Lock wasn't just exceptional—he was in a league of his own.
Leadership, charisma, and now strength on a scale that defied belief.
Muliang grabbed his radio. "The threat is neutralized. Repeat, the villain has been subdued!"
Far across the arena, Mt. Lady stirred awake, groaning as she sat up amid the rubble.
Her gaze fell on the battlefield—and her jaw dropped.
The once towering Iron Shark lay broken and blackened.
Lock stood in front of him, flames dying down, his armor still glowing faintly red.
The sound of sirens filled the air as police and rescue teams flooded into Dogu Arena, rushing to contain the aftermath.
The chaos of the Hero License Exam had ended—
And with it, a legend had just been born.
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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