Once they stopped talking, both of them activated their Quirks again.
However, this time, Todoroki finally used both sides of his power.
The battle resumed with far greater ferocity than before.
Fire and ice erupted across the arena while Midoriya was immediately forced to increase the output of One For All just to keep up.
The pace of the fight skyrocketed.
And in no time, Midoriya could feel himself struggling to maintain it.
Todoroki unleashed wave after wave of flames toward him.
Great torrents of fire crossed the battlefield, forcing Midoriya to dodge constantly.
The heat became overwhelming.
Unable to approach directly, Midoriya started destroying sections of the arena itself.
Chunks of concrete and stone were ripped from the ground.
He used them as makeshift shields against the incoming flames, hiding behind them while simultaneously launching the debris toward Todoroki.
The moment the rocks flew, Midoriya rushed forward behind them, using the moving cover to close the distance.
At that moment, an idea crossed his mind.
He pushed more power into his arms.
Five percent.
The increase immediately sent pain through his muscles, but he ignored it.
Instead of aiming at Todoroki directly, he began launching punch after punch into the air.
The force behind the strikes generated powerful gusts of wind.
Shockwaves rippled across the arena.
They weren't strong enough to seriously injure Todoroki, but they didn't need to be.
The winds disrupted his footing.
Interrupted his aim.
Forced him to constantly adjust his balance.
Above the arena, the Yonkou watched the exchange.
Then all four sighed almost simultaneously.
The boy was doing it again.
Trading his own body for temporary gains.
A strategy that worked.
A strategy that was effective.
And a strategy they absolutely hated.
Still, Midoriya pressed forward.
Using the cover of the flying debris and the turbulent winds, he finally managed to get close enough to strike.
Or so he thought.
The moment he threw the punch, a wall of ice erupted between them.
The attack crashed into it instead.
At the same instant, an enormous pillar of ice shot upward and curved around him.
In less than a second, Midoriya found himself trapped.
The ice prison closed from every direction.
The audience gasped.
Yet Midoriya reacted immediately.
"Full Cowling... 8%!"
Lightning danced around his body.
The pressure exploded outward.
Cracks spread through the ice.
Then the entire structure shattered.
Midoriya burst free almost instantly.
The fragments scattered throughout the arena like shattered glass.
The moment he escaped, he landed atop one of Todoroki's ice spikes.
Without wasting a second, he used it as a platform.
The spike cracked beneath him.
And he launched himself forward.
Like a projectile.
Todoroki barely had time to react.
The punch landed directly in his stomach.
The impact folded his body.
The shockwave echoed across the arena.
Todoroki was launched backward at incredible speed.
For a moment, it looked like he was going to be thrown completely out of bounds.
The crowd rose from their seats.
But at the last second, Todoroki reacted.
Ice erupted behind him.
Layer after layer formed in his path, acting as anchors.
The ice shattered under the force of the impact, but it slowed him down just enough.
When he finally stopped, his boots remained inside the arena.
Barely.
The audience erupted into cheers.
Todoroki coughed and forced himself back to his feet.
Pain ran through his body.
The hit had been solid.
Very solid.
Still, he refused to fall.
Taking a deep breath, he immediately raised another wall of ice before himself.
A defensive barrier.
But this time it wasn't meant to block.
It was meant to attack.
The moment the wall formed, flames erupted from his left side.
The intense heat instantly superheated the ice.
Pressure built inside the structure.
Then—
BOOM.
The entire ice wall exploded forward.
Thousands of frozen shards mixed with a wave of scorching fire.
The combined attack surged across the battlefield like a natural disaster, racing directly toward Midoriya.
The boy did everything he could to counter.
His fists blurred as he struck the incoming ice shards at high speed, shattering some and deflecting others. Whenever he couldn't destroy them, he dodged, twisting his body and changing direction repeatedly.
At this point, survival itself had become part of the battle.
He was completely surrounded by Todoroki's attack.
Meanwhile, Todoroki used his fire to envelop his own body.
The flames swirled around him like a miniature tornado, vaporizing the remaining ice in his path and clearing his vision.
For a brief moment, he thought he had regained control of the battlefield.
Then he heard something.
"SMASHHHHH!"
The shout echoed across the arena.
Todoroki's eyes widened.
The ground beneath him suddenly shifted.
The arena itself started moving.
When the flames finally cleared enough for him to see properly, he froze.
Half of the arena was gone.
Or more accurately, half of it was moving.
Midoriya had shattered an enormous section of the battlefield and was now slowly pushing it toward the edge of the arena.
The entire massive slab of concrete, stone, and steel was sliding outward.
A giant platform.
And Todoroki was standing on it.
The audience erupted.
Even some of the professional heroes looked surprised.
Todoroki stared for a second before understanding what Midoriya was trying to do.
"So you want to take me out," Todoroki muttered.
Immediately, he started running forward.
Ice erupted beneath his feet to accelerate his movement.
He had to get off the moving section before Midoriya forced him out of bounds.
However, the constant use of his Quirk was finally catching up to him.
The flames helped.
They restored his body temperature.
They removed the stiffness.
But he wasn't accustomed to using both sides continuously.
The strain from multiple battles was beginning to accumulate.
His breathing grew heavier.
His reactions slowed slightly.
On the other hand, Midoriya looked different.
Not stronger.
Not faster.
More efficient.
Every movement seemed cleaner.
More precise.
The longer the battle continued, the better he adapted.
Todoroki responded with more waves of ice.
Walls.
Spikes.
Barriers.
Yet Midoriya kept slipping through them.
Dodging at the last moment.
Breaking only what was necessary.
Advancing little by little.
Closer.
And closer.
And closer.
At one point, Todoroki redirected himself toward a remaining section of stable ground.
His goal was obvious.
If he could reach the intact side of the arena, Midoriya's strategy would fail.
But Midoriya saw it.
And reacted immediately.
His leg smashed into the ground.
"SMASH!"
The impact sent cracks racing across the battlefield.
The section Todoroki was standing on suddenly crumbled beneath him.
His balance faltered.
Just for a moment.
A tiny opening.
But against an opponent like Midoriya, a tiny opening was enough.
Midoriya immediately lifted a massive chunk of debris.
A boulder almost the size of a car.
Then he threw it.
The projectile crossed the distance rapidly.
Todoroki barely managed to react.
Ice erupted before him.
Flames followed immediately after.
The collision exploded in a shower of steam, shattered stone, and ice fragments.
Above the arena, the four Yonkou watched the exchange.
And all four reached the same conclusion.
"It's over."
Their voices overlapped almost perfectly.
Todoroki knew it too.
This would be the final exchange.
The deciding clash.
His body was reaching its limit.
Midoriya's arms were already damaged.
Neither could continue much longer.
So Todoroki made his choice.
He planted his feet firmly.
Fire gathered around him.
Not a simple burst.
Not a wave.
Everything.
Every remaining ounce of power he could bring out.
The flames expanded forward.
The temperature inside the stadium spiked instantly.
At the same time, Midoriya answered.
His expression hardened.
His muscles tensed.
And he pushed One For All beyond what his body could comfortably handle.
Just for a single attack.
Just for one strike.
The energy surging through his body intensified.
Cracks spread beneath his feet.
The air itself seemed to tremble.
At that moment, several teachers became alarmed.
They immediately understood what was about to happen.
Cementoss stepped forward, ready to intervene.
Recovery Girl stood up from her seat.
Several pro heroes prepared themselves.
Because if those attacks collided directly, the result could be bad.
Before anyone else could move, Mewtwo jumped into the air.
The crowd immediately looked up.
Psychic energy gathered around him.
He extended both hands.
Using his telekinesis, he formed a massive pseudo-barrier between the students.
At the same time, he expanded his power outward, creating another telekinetic field around the battlefield itself.
His goal wasn't to stop the attacks.
That would have been impossible without interfering with the match.
Instead, he focused on limiting the damage.
Protecting the audience.
Protecting the stadium.
Protecting the students from the worst possible outcome.
The barrier before Midoriya and Todoroki wasn't meant to leave them unharmed.
It was only meant to keep them alive.
They would still feel the impact.
They would still suffer the shock.
But the lethal force behind the collision would be reduced.
As the psychic field settled into place, both students unleashed their attacks at exactly the same moment.
Both of them were hit by the resulting collision.
The attacks met in the center of the arena with a deafening explosion.
Fire, wind, ice, and raw force erupted outward in every direction.
Even with Mewtwo's telekinetic barriers absorbing most of the excess energy, the impact was powerful enough to shake the entire stadium.
The audience held their breath.
For a few moments, neither fighter could be seen.
Only smoke.
Only dust.
Only steam.
Then the shockwave reached them.
Todoroki was the first to emerge from the cloud.
His body had already reached its limit.
The clash finally overwhelmed him.
Unable to resist the force of the impact, he was blown backward through the air.
Midoriya suffered the same fate.
The collision launched him away as well.
However, there was one crucial difference.
As he was thrown back by the shockwave created by their Quirks, Midoriya never stopped thinking.
His body spun uncontrollably through the air.
Pain surged through every muscle.
His damaged arm screamed in protest.
Yet he ignored it.
Using his good arm, Midoriya desperately reached for anything he could grab.
Anything.
A piece of broken concrete.
A fragment of the arena.
A crack in the ground.
Something.
Then, just before being thrown completely out of bounds, he found his chance.
Midoriya bounced once against the remains of the arena.
The moment he did, he slammed his good arm into the ground.
The impact tore through his muscles.
Pain shot through his body.
But it worked.
His hand dug into the broken surface.
The force slowed him down.
His body skidded violently across the arena floor, leaving a long trail behind him.
Yet he remained inside.
Barely.
Meanwhile, Todoroki continued flying backward.
He tried to recover.
Tried to stop himself.
Tried to create ice.
But his exhausted body failed to respond quickly enough.
A moment later, he crossed the boundary.
And landed outside the arena.
Silence filled the stadium.
For one second.
Two seconds.
Three.
Everyone looked between the two students.
One inside.
One outside.
Then Present Mic's voice shattered the silence.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"
His voice echoed through every corner of the stadium.
"THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH IS..."
He paused dramatically.
The crowd leaned forward.
"IZUKU MIDORIYA!"
The stadium exploded.
Cheers erupted from every section.
Students stood from their seats.
Professional heroes nodded in approval.
Even some teachers couldn't hide their smiles.
The battle had been incredible.
A clash between two students who had pushed themselves far beyond what most first-years could ever hope to achieve.
Below, both fighters remained on the ground.
Exhausted.
Injured.
Barely able to move.
Yet neither looked disappointed.