With the help of professional heroes, U.A. High quickly completed the reconstruction of the arena after clearing away the magma left behind by Masata.
And now—
The final match of the Sports Festival was finally about to begin!
The boy born with everything, the master of ice and fire—Shoto Todoroki!
The one who crushed every opponent in his path, the ultimate wielder of magma—Igarashi Masata!
Between these two, the champion would be decided!
"The moment everyone has been waiting for is finally here!!"
"I don't think I need to introduce either of these fighters—you've all been watching them closely!"
"Who will take the championship of this Sports Festival?!"
"BEGIN THE MATCH!!!"
The instant Present Mic's voice rang out, the entire stadium exploded with excitement.
In past years, there had never been a matchup like this. The quality of U.A.'s first-year students this year was simply unbelievable.
"Kirishima, who are you rooting for?"
Kaminari Denki asked, stretching lazily beside him.
"Obviously Masata!" Kirishima replied without hesitation.
"His punches are insane! I'm still sore where he hit me!"
As Masata's close friend—and someone who had personally experienced that strength—Kirishima's confidence was absolute.
"I think Todoroki will win," Kaminari said instead.
"Masata feels like a brute-force fighter. Against an elemental specialist like Todoroki, he might get kited."
It seemed Kaminari still thought in terms of game strategies.
"But that 'brute-force fighter' can use ranged attacks too," Sero Hanta chimed in from behind.
"You saw his last match. Masata's long-range power is terrifying."
Even so, Sero still looked a little traumatized—clearly not over his instant defeat earlier.
While the audience debated, the two fighters stood silently in the center of the arena.
"So?" Masata said casually.
"Are you going to fight me at full strength?"
Todoroki answered without words.
He lightly tapped the ground with his right foot—
And a sharp cone of ice erupted toward Masata.
"Tch—ice?" Masata frowned.
"This chill really isn't pleasant."
Instinctively repulsed, magma spread across his arm as several blazing magma fists shot forward.
BOOM!
The magma fists collided with the ice spikes, instantly melting them—but the heat was absorbed just as quickly. The magma cooled, hardened, and fell to the ground as stone.
"Their opening exchanges cancel each other out!" Present Mic shouted.
"They're evenly matched! Igarashi's usually unstoppable magma has finally met its counter!"
Elemental Quirks were already rare—powerful ones even more so.
Now, two elemental titans were clashing head-on.
The crowd didn't dare blink.
"This isn't normal ice," Masata said calmly.
"Regular ice wouldn't stop my magma. You've developed your Quirk well."
The ice's temperature was far below freezing—easily twenty to thirty degrees below zero. Only long-term mastery could achieve that level of control.
"Scorching Hell!!"
Facing an opponent whose Quirk directly opposed his own, Masata chose to reshape the battlefield itself.
Magma surged beneath his feet, pooling and spreading outward. The sharp scent of sulfur filled the air, and the temperature across the arena rose instantly.
Todoroki waved his right hand.
A thick ice wall formed in front of him, blocking the advancing lava.
HISSSSS—
Ice and fire clashed violently.
Magma cooled and solidified—but more surged forward.
Ice melted and evaporated—but was immediately reinforced.
For a moment, the two forces were locked in perfect balance.
Seeing Todoroki refuse to yield, Masata abandoned the idea of flooding the entire arena.
Even if he won that way, it wouldn't be the victory he wanted.
He wanted a clean, decisive win.
"You're straining your body," Masata said.
"Using your Quirk nonstop like this carries a heavy burden."
As the steam cleared, he saw it—Todoroki was breathing lightly, frost spreading across the right side of his body.
Without responding, Todoroki crouched and pressed his right hand to the ground.
Dense ice spikes erupted upward, racing toward Masata.
"Attacking from below since a frontal clash isn't enough?" Masata scoffed.
"Good idea—but not strong enough!"
"Great Eruption Fist!!"
A colossal lava fist formed instantly.
The heat alone made nearby spectators feel their skin crack.
The massive fist advanced, casting a shadow over half the stadium. Even the clouds above were stained red by its glow.
"THIS IS IT—IGARASHI'S MOVE!!!"
"With an attack this huge, can Todoroki stop it?!"
Cementoss immediately reinforced the arena walls to prevent molten debris from harming the audience.
The ice spikes shattered like tofu beneath the overwhelming force.
The lava fist kept advancing.
Todoroki's pupils shrank.
This wasn't sparring anymore—it was a true, all-out clash.
Ignoring the stiffness creeping through his body, he clenched his teeth and unleashed his Quirk again.
The massive iceberg he once used against Sero erupted from the ground, slamming straight into the magma.
"The attacks from both sides are absolutely terrifying!!"
"Magma versus ice—will the magma devour the ice, or will the ice freeze the magma?!"
"Forget the outcome—CHEER AS LOUD AS YOU CAN!!!"
The battlefield had transformed completely.
One half was a sea of flowing magma.
The other half stood frozen beneath towering black ice.
A world split cleanly down the middle.
The spectacle was breathtaking—
—but brutal for the audience.
On Masata's side, people were sweating and fanning themselves desperately.
On Todoroki's side, spectators shivered despite thick coats.
When two titans collide—
Who would emerge victorious?