Yoarashi was eliminated.
That alone hit harder than I expected.
He was strong—undeniably so. Seeing him fall in the first round made the scale of this tournament painfully clear.
After the match, we returned to our country's waiting room.
Iida. Yoarashi.
Both eliminated in the first round.
The room felt heavier than before.
"Yoarashi," Saiko spoke up, her tone sharp with focus.
"You faced Ethan Cross… from America, right?"
"…Yeah," Yoarashi replied quietly.
"Even among top-ranked heroes, his information is heavily classified," she continued.
"Can you tell us anything about him?"
Yoarashi clenched his fists.
"…He's the strongest opponent I've ever faced."
Everyone fell silent.
"In the beginning, I had the upper hand," he said slowly.
"But as time went on… it felt like he was changing."
He swallowed.
"He moves like a storm. The longer the fight lasts, the stronger he gets.
It's like his power increases every minute."
His hands trembled slightly as he spoke.
I stared at the floor.
Is Ethan Cross really that dangerous…?
If someone like Yoarashi said that—then this tournament was no joke.
The second round would begin tomorrow.
That night, we prepared in silence.
I warned Rin once again not to cause any trouble.
Tomorrow wouldn't allow mistakes.
---
ROUND TWO : Adaptation Trail
When I entered my assigned arena, I immediately assessed the field.
Only four of us.
Me.
Kaiser Richter — Germany.
Mikhail Volkov — Russia.
Li Wei — China.
"Senpai!"
Kaiser jogged over, grinning like always.
"Hey, Kaiser," I replied.
"I didn't think we'd face each other this soon," he said.
"Or maybe not at all."
"Don't be so sure," I said calmly.
"We might end up on the same team."
"Don't jinx it, senpai," he laughed.
Before anything else could be said, a mechanical voice echoed throughout the chamber.
> "Welcome, heroes who have proven themselves in the qualifiers."
"We wish you the best of luck."
The floor beneath us hummed.
> "This arena is the Convergence Field."
"Quirk-suppressing rays will be active at all times."
The air shifted—heavy, oppressive.
> "Your objective is to survive the suppression and reach the designated point within the time limit."
"Failure results in loss."
A pause.
> "If both teams arrive within the time limit, combat will determine the winner."
"Time limit: Five hours."
Then—
> "Pairings announced."
The lights flickered.
> "Izuku Midoriya and Li Wei."
"Mikhail Volkov and Kaiser Richter."
> "The trial will commence in ten minutes."
"Yes!" Kaiser pumped his fist.
"Senpai, looks like we're fighting after all! I'm fired up!"
"…Yeah," I smiled faintly.
"I'm looking forward to it too."
"Don't lose before we fight!" Kaiser shouted.
"I'll try to carry the stupid clown from Russia."
"Oi," Mikhail snapped, glaring at him.
"You picking a fight?"
"Why would I pick a fight with someone beneath me?" Kaiser scoffed.
"Don't drag me down, clown."
Mikhail lunged—
I caught his wrist instantly.
"Stop," I said firmly.
"You'll get disqualified."
He yanked his arm free.
"…Why do these bastards keep looking down on me?" he growled.
"As expected," Kaiser said smugly.
"Senpai's the only one worthy of my respect."
The countdown began.
Kaiser turned to me—his expression different now. Serious.
"Don't go easy on me, senpai.
I plan to crush you."
"…Really now?" I replied evenly.
"You're welcome to try."
"Don't misunderstand," Kaiser said.
"I want to surpass you—to become a hero like you."
He smiled.
"Don't lose before we fight."
Then he walked off with Mikhail.
---
Li Wei stood silently beside me.
Too silent.
"I'm looking forward to working with you," I said genuinely.
No response.
Just a brief glance.
As we entered the Convergence Hall, the interior shifted violently.
Walls rotated. Floors realigned.
The arena moved.
We proceeded carefully.
The suppression was strong—activating my quirk felt like pushing through mud.
"…Sixty percent," I muttered.
"That's my limit here."
We entered another chamber.
Something felt wrong.
"Stop," Li Wei said suddenly.
She crouched, pointing at the floor.
Orange markings—footprints.
"We've been here before," she said.
"This is the second time."
"…You marked our path?" I asked.
She nodded.
"This place is a cube," she continued.
"It shifts at fixed intervals."
That fast…?
"She's right," Saiko's voice came through the comms.
"The entire structure rotates every five minutes."
"You need to move toward the center. Enter at the correct interval, and you'll reach the destination."
"…That's impressive," I said.
Li Wei glanced at Saiko's feed.
"That girl's good."
"She's our strategist," I replied proudly.
We adjusted our timing.
One shift.
Two shifts.
An hour later—
We arrived.
But Kaiser and Mikhail weren't there.
Then—
BOOM.
The walls exploded inward.
Dust filled the room.
"Yo, senpai," Kaiser's voice rang out.
"Did we keep you waiting?"
They broke through the walls?!
"OI, CLOWN," Kaiser snapped at Mikhail.
"Take the girl. I'll handle senpai."
"You're the clown," Mikhail snarled.
"I'm taking down Izuku Midoriya."
They rushed me—fast. Too fast.
I boosted to 30% to match them.
Li Wei raised a translucent forcefield around herself.
"…Qi barrier," she muttered.
Then—
She sat down.
And closed her eyes.
"…She's sleeping," I realized.
Unbelievable.
Mikhail's ice surged—far colder than Shoto's.
One mistake and I'd be immobilized.
"You're done, Izuku Midoriya," Mikhail said.
The temperature dropped instantly.
"Absolute Zero."
The air froze.
Motion stopped.
Energy slowed.
I was caught.
"Shit—!"
My breath crystallized.
"He isn't all that," Mikhail sneered.
Kaiser went silent.
"…Not yet," he muttered.
Full Cowl — 60%.
The ice shattered outward.
"Hah—hah—hah…"
"You bastard," I growled.
"I'm freezing here."
"As expected," Kaiser smirked.
"Tough as ever, senpai."
They attacked together.
No room for mistakes.
I dodged—barely.
I can't hold back anymore.
Black tendrils erupted from my arm.
"…His quirk—!" Mikhail shouted as Blackwhip wrapped around him.
"Sorry," I said calmly.
"I didn't want to use this."
"But you're both too strong."
I tightened my grip.
"Stay still."
I launched forward—
SMASH.
My fist connected with Kaiser's jaw.
His body flew back.
Down.
Silence.
I exhaled.
"…Got you."
Victory.