"Alright! Let's officially begin the qualifiers!"
Ignoring the noisy chatter from the students, Midnight waved her hand decisively.
"That's it! The first event—the Obstacle Race!"
As she spoke, the massive gate at the edge of the stadium slowly opened, revealing a long track stretching into the distance.
"This competition will include students from eleven classes! The course circles the entire stadium once, with a total length of approximately four kilometers!"
"And most importantly—as long as you stay on the course, anything goes! No restrictions on methods whatsoever! Freedom is the greatest selling point of U.A. High!"
With a playful wink, Midnight sent another wave of chaos through the male students in the audience.
"But don't underestimate it—plenty of students have suffered terribly in this event over the years!"
"So it's essentially an endurance test… with interference allowed," Yaoyorozu Momo muttered, analyzing quickly.
"Four kilometers isn't that long. That means the obstacles will be the real challenge."
Standing near the front, Igarashi Masata heard her words and glanced back casually.
"It doesn't matter what shows up," he said calmly. "I'm taking first place."
Momo froze for a moment, then frowned.
Masata's confidence made her think. Her own strength hadn't increased rapidly—everything she had was built slowly through years of training. Maybe what she lacked wasn't effort… but the courage to push forward without hesitation.
"Alright! Everyone line up behind the starting line!"
As the race drew closer, Midoriya Izuku's heart pounded.
I still can't control One For All properly…
If I want to get ahead, I need a breakthrough! Masata… All Might… I won't let you down!
"START!!!"
At the signal, hundreds of students surged forward, instantly clogging the narrow entrance.
"Hey! Make some space—dragon sleeves coming through!"
The moment Masata spoke, the dense crowd reacted as if hot iron had been plunged into butter—an open path instantly formed.
"So hot!"
"Stay away from him—my sweat's about to evaporate!"
Masata lightly activated his Quirk, radiating controlled heat from his arms. It was enough to force others aside without injuring anyone, clearing a clean route for himself.
The effect was absurdly efficient.
By the time the first wave of students broke free from the gate, Masata had already reached the front.
"Hey! Long time no—"
A classmate tried to greet him enthusiastically, but stopped when they saw the icy expression on the other boy's face.
"Hmph. I don't have time for friendship games."
A chilling presence swept past.
Ice instantly spread across the ground, freezing several students in place.
After activating his Quirk, Todoroki Shoto shot forward at full speed.
"Ohhh! What an opening!" Present Mic shouted excitedly.
"And sitting next to me is the mummy himself—ARE YOU READY?!"
Mic and Aizawa Shouta took their places in the commentary booth.
"What an explosive start from Class 1-A!" Mic exclaimed.
Masata, left momentarily behind, didn't mind at all. A surge of heat burst from his body, instantly melting the ice beneath his feet.
"I said I'm taking first—so I won't hold back!"
BOOM!
Masata slammed his foot into the ground and launched forward like a cannonball, instantly overtaking Todoroki.
After his recent transformation, Masata's physical abilities had skyrocketed. His speed became so terrifying that many students couldn't even see him—only feeling a violent gust of wind tear past them.
"Is that Igarashi Masata, Class 1-A's leader?! Even I feel ashamed watching that speed!"
Behind him, Class 1-A surged forward as well. Bakugo Katsuki and others avoided Todoroki's ice early and used their Quirks to chase. Minoru Mineta scattered his sticky purple balls onto the ground, using them as trampolines to bounce ahead.
Soon, the first obstacle appeared.
"IT'S HERE—ROBOT HELL!!!"
Dozens of massive robots emerged, identical to those from the entrance exam. One of them even swatted Mineta out of the air.
"Tch. These things again?" Masata stopped abruptly, staring at the towering machine blocking the road.
"Big, slow, and heavy… they're nothing to me now."
"The leading runner—Igarashi Masata—has suddenly stopped! Is he intimidated by the obstacle ahead?!" Mic shouted.
"Intimidated?" Masata sneered. "You're the one who should be scared."
Bathed in boiling magma, his aura alone forced nearby students to halt.
"My power's stronger than ever, and my control has improved massively… this move should work now."
Lava erupted violently, instantly swallowing Masata's upper uniform. His arms transformed into towering columns of magma, stretching skyward.
"Meteor Volcano!!"
Fists of molten lava blasted upward one after another, launched with tremendous force straight into the clouds.
"What the hell is he doing?!"
"He missed! He didn't even hit the robot!"
"The real show hasn't started yet," Masata snapped coldly, turning his head to glare.
The oppressive heat and terrifying presence silenced the crowd.
And then—
His attack returned.