Before Allen's fight, several women in the audience had drawn attention.
On one side, Pop☆Step was irritated. She had been forced to help Koichi stop Knuckleduster from interfering in the villain invasion.
This was because, even if vigilantes are among the "good guys," they are still individuals who break the law. As a consequence, if they suddenly appeared, there was a high chance the heroes would mistake them for villains and attack them.
Beyond that, the supervillains who had appeared were top-hero level. They were not something they could face. In other words, Knuckleduster is strong, but he's still just a muscular middle-aged guy. Koichi may have potential, but right now it's useless, and Kazuho is a clandestine idol. So they had no choice but to resign themselves to simply watching.
Of course, Kazuho had been worried about Allen when she saw him facing such a terrifying opponent, and she could only breathe in relief when she saw him come out unharmed. Soon after, when she learned Allen would fight against two people, the girl resumed supporting Allen at 200%. This time she even forced Knuckleduster to hold up a banner.
Elsewhere, Mirko was annoyed. During the invasion, she had been worried about Allen, though not as much as Kaina and Ryuko, because she trusted that the man she had raised would not die so easily. Still, her dissatisfaction came from not being able to defeat Re-Destro and finish off Muscular.
Ryuko, on the other hand, had been terrified. Even if Allen kept growing, to her he was still like a child who needed all her attention and affection.
In this sense, among Allen's four guardians, Ryuko was the one who acted the most like a mother—something Allen would understand once he met her. So when the woman saw her son leave the arena unharmed, she collapsed into her seat, and at that moment Nejire began fanning her with a handheld fan.
Time passed, and Allen's fight was about to begin.
Once Allen stepped onto the stage, it wasn't only Nemuri—Mirko and Ryuko also felt that something wasn't right. Call it feminine instinct or maternal instinct, but Kaina's absence made the three women fall into a bad mood.
....
All Might watched the match from the infirmary. While he hadn't suffered serious injuries, the strain from maintaining his transformation made it impossible for him to remain in the stands watching.
"Young Midoriya..."
The image of Deku pushing himself beyond his limit to keep fighting moved him deeply, but it also worried him.
'Could it be that the pressure I placed on his shoulders is too great?'
All Might was the Symbol of Peace, the number one hero. The burden on his shoulders was enough to crush even veteran heroes. Not just anyone could take his place, and yet he knew Deku had to step into his shoes. It had been his destiny from the moment he accepted One For All.
'He is not All Might...'
Those were the words Allen had once said to Toshinori when he saw Deku desperately trying to grow stronger to better control One For All. Toshinori had been overwhelming since his youth, and he had something Deku still lacked—the desire to be the best.
Ego and ambition may seem like bad things, but they are also very important fuel.
'I understand now. Young Midoriya still sees himself as an All Might fan...'
Thinking that, All Might grabbed his head. Perhaps Allen had been right—he wasn't a good teacher. He had been so focused on making Deku stronger that he forgot to train his mindset.
All Might sighed as he watched his successor fall to his knees. It was an inevitable outcome.
However, perhaps he underestimated Deku.
....
...
....
The announcement of the victory fell like a bucket of cold water on everyone. It was true that Allen's victory had seemed inevitable to everyone watching, but no one expected it to be such a one-sided beating from beginning to end.
Allen remained silent, not stepping down from the stage even after Nemuri had already announced his victory.
"Wait… It's not over yet!"
Bakugo crawled out from the crater where he had crashed. When his face became visible, one of his cheeks was swollen and blood dripped from his lips. The rest of his body didn't look good either, an obvious result of the force of the impact. Even so, he was still trying to fight—the fire in his eyes still burned.
"That's right… this isn't over!"
Just like Bakugo, Deku was bleeding from the mouth, and his organs were likely suffering some damage as well. Despite that, he endured the pain and forced himself to stand.
"You're very brave..." Allen said, then chuckled under his breath. "Alright, let's continue."
"Hey, don't decide that on your own!" Midnight snorted. Did they think she was just a decoration or something?
Allen turned toward Nemuri with a pitiful look. "Please..."
"...there's nothing that can be done," Nemuri said, immediately giving in as she blushed.
The audience wanted to curse the referee's obvious favoritism toward one participant. Beyond that, the fact that it was the beautiful and sexy Midnight only made male jealousy boil over. On the other hand, countless women felt something strike their hearts when they saw how that shameless bastard was capable of making a look like that.
– I can fix him –
became a collective thought among the girls.
After receiving Nemuri's permission, the fight continued, nullifying Allen's victory.
"Once again! That's what heroes are like! Plus Ultra!" shouted Present Mic. The audience also cheered for Deku and Bakugo, because even if the latter had an aggressive and arrogant personality, his courage was admirable.
"Then I'll surpass my limit as well," Allen said with a smile before pulling out a "template."
This made Deku and Bakugo cautious.
The templates he had chosen for today were:
– The Divine Spirit: Quetzalcoatl (FGO)
– The God of Thunder: Thor (Marvel)
– Railgun: Mikoto Misaka (To Aru Majutsu/Kagaku)
– Iron Man: Tony Stark (Marvel)
– Saiyan Warrior (DB)
The key point was the last template. This one had only been seen by Nemuri, Ochako, Toru, and All For One. To everyone else, Allen had not yet shown his five cards, but to them, Allen would be using a sixth card, with the excuse that he was surpassing his limit.
The card shattered into pieces.
Both Deku and Bakugo took their stances.
A great number of black feathers blocked everyone's vision. When the feathers disappeared, a dark pillar stood in the middle of the arena. At the top was Allen, wearing a black hooded coat that covered his face and only revealed his smile.
"Brave ones, heroes and martyrs, you are free to test your luck against the world… I observe, I evaluate, and I condemn… I am the one who governs the shadows."
What is this guy saying?!
Everyone had the same reaction. Hearing Allen say something like that out of nowhere felt so out of place that it made them uncomfortable. However, for Deku and Bakugo the feeling was different—Allen gave off an oppressive presence just by standing there.
'I can't lose… I received this treasure… All Might's power… I can't just be a background character! One For All Full Cowl 40%!'
Deku knew using One For All at that level would damage his body, but he felt that if he didn't push himself to the limit he wouldn't have any chance.
Deku disappeared, creating a sonic boom behind him. In just an instant he arrived in front of Allen. Then he opened his hand and clenched it again. Bright red veins appeared across his body, and his eyes sharpened with power.
One For All 1,000,000%!
"Delaware… Detroit… SMASH!!"
When Deku's fist struck, it created a shockwave that swept across the entire stadium, leaving everyone astonished.
All Might couldn't help but gasp from the infirmary, then smiled.
For a moment it seemed he had won, and the price to pay had only been a purple arm because his bones had broken… however—
"I see. Truly admirable hope and will..." Allen said.
"...!"
Deku's eyes widened in disbelief. The audience did as well. In front of Deku's fist was a sword that had stopped his attack, and of course it was being held by none other than Allen.
"I will also show my respect as the Eminence of Shadows, hero… I… Am…"
Deku's eyes shrank, yet instead of retreating he grabbed Allen's arm.
"KACCHAN!"
"Don't give me orders!"
Above Allen appeared Katsuki Bakugo, who looked battered, yet his hands shone intensely. He had gathered all his power into a single attack.
"A wonderful combination..." Allen said with a smile.
"Die!" Bakugo shouted.
A massive explosion detonated and instantly reached Allen, but instead of being frightened, he laughed.
"Atomic..."
A terrifying power covered the entire area, tinting it purple. At the same time, time itself seemed to slow down, and an instant later a massive pillar of energy shot toward the sky.
This power swallowed Bakugo's maximum explosion as if it were a match falling into the sea.
The pillar of energy was so perfectly contained that it didn't touch anything outside the arena—not even a strand of Nemuri's hair, even though she was only a meter away from the explosion.
Everyone was in shock.
Was that terrifying attack done by Allen?!
Once the light disappeared, the arena itself had vanished, leaving behind a massive hole in the ground of unknown depth. Meanwhile, Allen stood in the air—or rather, that's what it looked like. In reality, he was standing on thin metallic wires, and in both hands, he was holding Deku and Bakugo.
Allen jumped down and landed, dropping both of them. Then he proceeded to walk toward the tunnel without waiting for the announcement of his victory.
"Come back when you're stronger and try again..."
The audience, still in shock, watched Allen disappear.
....
Allen leaned against a wall. Even with his shamelessness, he couldn't help but feel affected by what he had just said.
"It was my mistake. I didn't expect the Shadow template to fill me with the urge to say so many chuuni things (eighth-grader syndrome)."
Rick – Hahaha, idiot!
What the hell was that "ruler of the shadows" crap?!
Haha, you actually feel embarrassed!
I can't stop laughing!
If it were me, I'd never go outside again out of shame!
Haha
Allen looked at his chat and genuinely had the urge to ban all of them, but he held back since it was all his fault.
"How did I go from being a noble Saiyan warrior to a chuuni isekai protagonist?!" Even Allen had to take a few seconds to recover from the psychological damage that template had caused him.
In the stands, Cementoss wanted to smash his face against a wall, but he knew he was the only one who could do the job. So he stood up from his seat and went to rebuild the arena once again...
....
An hour later, the matches resumed.
At this point, Allen had returned to the Class 1-A stands and sat between Itsuka and Ibara. Although his performance as Shadow had been embarrassing, no one in this world mocked him, because the power he had shown was terrifying.
"Everyone ready?! Without further ado, we begin the second match!" shouted Present Mic. "On the right side, the powerful genius Shoto Todoroki, and on the right side the dark horse, Fumikage Tokoyami!"
If Allen's fight hadn't existed, this would have been the most exciting match, since both participants were among the strongest in Class 1-A.
Everyone paid attention. Everyone prepared themselves. And the moment the battle began, everyone was impressed.
Tokoyami sent out his avatar, Dark Shadow, taking the initiative.
"Go, Dark Shadow!"
The creature made of shadows laughed as it attacked. On its way to Todoroki, pillars of ice appeared, but Dark Shadow destroyed them all and even mocked Todoroki.
"Ice brat, is that the best you can do? If it were nighttime I'd kick your ass without even trying! Hahahaha!"
Despite the insults, Todoroki didn't react. In fact, he hadn't even raised his head, letting his hair cover his face.
In the stands, Endeavor watched. He had received criticism for not appearing during the invasion, but Present Mic intervened to announce that Endeavor had been fighting a villain elsewhere.
"..."
The robust red-haired man covered in flames looked at his son—whom he called his greatest creation—with a faint smile.
At the Todoroki household, his family watched with concern. They all knew how he must be feeling at this moment and how badly he had been suffering. They could only hope Todoroki would be strong.
From a villains' hideout, a young man with scars on his face—playing with blue flames in his hand—was also watching the match, wondering which path Todoroki would choose.
....
'I... can't win...'
Todoroki knew it. He had known for a long time that Allen was completely beyond their level, but now he could confirm his suspicions. That guy had probably never even fought them seriously.
He hated his father. He hated the Quirk he inherited from him... BUT!
Dark Shadow destroyed the last pillar of ice and reached Todoroki. Without hesitation, it attacked with its claw.
"I'm sorry, but I don't intend to fall behind..." Todoroki said as the temperature around him began to rise at an alarming rate.
"...!"
Despite being Tokoyami's avatar and having a fierce personality, Dark Shadow had shown fear toward only two people before—one was All For One, the second was Allen, and now, once again, it felt fear.
In an instant, everything around Todoroki erupted in flames so intense that Dark Shadow was disintegrated immediately.
"Dark Shadow?!"
The fire continued to advance until it reached Tokoyami, whose eyes widened before he was struck and sent flying out of the ring.
Nemuri, with a bead of sweat on her cheek from the heat, raised her hand.
"Winner, Shoto Todoroki!"
Nemuri's announcement triggered an explosion of cheers.
"Ah..." Present Mic was stunned for a moment before shouting at the top of his lungs, "It's an instant victory!"
Todoroki looked toward the stands where Allen was watching with interest.
"Are you satisfied? Now I'll show you my true power!"
Despite the distance and the cheers, Allen clearly heard Todoroki's words and smiled in response.
Todoroki walked toward the tunnel without paying attention to anyone else. When he arrived, he encountered Endeavor, who extended his arms.
"You've finally stopped acting like a child, Shoto!"
Endeavor had a smile of ambition and pride.
"That's right, Shoto. You're the one who will surpass the legend of All Might—not that albino brat! You're the one who—"
"Shut up..."
Normally Todoroki was cold toward his father, but this was the first time he made him feel pressured—and even forced him into silence.
"..."
"I'm not doing this for you, nor for your stupid ambition. There's someone I want to defeat..." Todoroki walked past Endeavor without giving him a second glance.
"I understand that feeling..." Endeavor said as he turned around. "You're no different from me, my son."
"You're wrong. You envy All Might and are willing to sacrifice everything to surpass him," Todoroki stopped walking and looked back. His eyes were calm, and his gaze even reflected pity toward Endeavor. "I respect him... and I'm even grateful to him. That's exactly why I want to defeat him—to show him that he didn't waste his time on me."
Todoroki disappeared into the distance, leaving Endeavor in silence. But soon his flames began to surge from his body.
"That's not right! It's not supposed to be like this! You've ruined it! You damn brat—you've ruined Shoto!"
Endeavor began to feel an irrational hatred toward Allen. It was true that Todoroki had become stronger, but something inside him had changed—something Endeavor didn't like.
Just as the walls began to melt, a hand touched Endeavor's shoulder.
"Is something wrong?"
When he turned around, he saw his rival—the man with the permanent smile, All Might. His eyes shone as he looked at Endeavor, ready to intervene.
Despite his arrogance, Endeavor did not confront All Might. He withdrew his flames and began walking away.
"It's nothing."
All Might shook his head as he watched Endeavor's back, but the moment he was alone he lost his transformation.
"You're trying too hard..." Allen said, leaning against a wall.
"Allen..." All Might smiled. "That's what heroes do, right?"
Allen smiled as well. "That's right..."
Allen and All Might had thought the same thing and had come to stop Endeavor in case he tried to do something stupid.
"I'm sorry," All Might said. "It seems someone troublesome has set their sights on you."
"Don't worry... I'm used to aggressive idiots."
All Might smiled awkwardly, then turned serious.
Allen understood what he wanted to ask and pointed in a direction with his thumb.
"How about we go get something to drink while Cementoss fixes the arena again?"
All Might sighed.
"He really deserves a bonus."
Allen laughed.
====
A/N: Ryuko doesn't know that her baby is going to be a father 🍷🗿
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