"Hello, everyone. I've been waiting for you all. I'm one of the teachers who will be assisting with today's class—Space Hero: Thirteen."
"Woooah!!!"
The class erupted in excitement at the appearance of the new pro hero. Some students tried to maintain an air of cool dignity, desperately hiding their enthusiasm, while others made no effort at all.
Nora quietly took another step away from the muttering Midoriya as an overly excited Uraraka entered his field of vision—her reaction not much different from that of a fan meeting their idol.
For someone as famous as All Might, Nora naturally had some knowledge, but when it came to lesser-known heroes, he couldn't recognize most of them.
Space Hero Thirteen—true to her name—was clad in a full space suit, for reasons only she seemed to know. To Nora, she was simply another teacher at the school. That thought lasted only a moment before Midoriya's murmuring reached his ears.
"Thirteen's Quirk is Black Hole…"
Wow.
Even Nora could grasp how terrifyingly powerful that ability was. If even that Bakugo would be swallowed by it, then it had to be on an entirely different level.
But… it's probably different in actual combat, he thought.
With the introduction of the co-teacher for this lesson, Class 1-A entered what was known as the USJ.
True to its name, the facility simulated countless disaster scenarios—on land and at sea, in forests and mountains, within cities and across open fields.
Just how much money was spent on this…?
Nora couldn't help but think that way. Having spent years in a world where money dictated everything, it was hard to shake off that mindset so easily.
"Well then, a simple question for everyone," Thirteen said. She was clearly accustomed to teaching classes like this year after year.
"What do you think is the time limit for rescuing people in a disaster?"
"???"
Large question marks practically appeared over everyone's heads.
"There is no time limit. We rescue everyone," Iida answered first, his voice firm and confident.
However, Thirteen didn't seem satisfied. "Anyone else?" she asked.
No one was particularly shy or embarrassed—it was simply that most of them shared the same thought as Iida.
After checking one last time, Thirteen finally gave the answer.
"Seventy-two hours. After that, the number of victims increases exponentially."
"I've already told you that Quirks can both save and harm people. You've learned how to use your abilities in other classes," Thirteen continued.
"But remember this—rescue work is always a race against time."
She didn't even need to raise her voice. Even so, everyone present could feel the quiet charisma she carried.
"So cool!!"
"Woah!"
It was an entirely expected reaction from the fledgling heroes.
'!!?'
It was instinct—perhaps the result of Nora becoming a beastman. Even if his senses were no sharper than a cat's, they still screamed at him. Without realizing it, his gaze snapped toward the distant field—the central plaza meant as a resting area amid the disaster-themed zones.
A black swirl was expanding at a frightening speed, quickly blotting out the small fountain at its center.
"Sensei," Nora called out.
Aizawa remained silent, his eyes fixed on the same spot. Within the vortex of darkness, a hole began to form—a wide, gaping void.
A gamer recognized the phenomenon instantly.
A warp.
As expected, Nora thought calmly. After raising this many flags, it was impossible for nothing to happen.
More than that, it felt as though he had already been expecting this.
"Terrorists… in a school," he muttered.
A certain garden of shadows is about to be unleashed.
"Everyone, step back! Gather in one spot. Thirteen, can you contact the school?" Aizawa commanded sharply.
"I can't—it's jammed!" Thirteen replied after checking her device, urgency creeping into her voice.
"Everyone, fall back. We're leaving the building. We'll be safe once we reach the bus," Aizawa said, forcing calm into his tone.
Some students moved instantly, snapping into action. Others froze, overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events.
"Thirteen, take the lead. I'll guard the rear," Aizawa ordered.
Without hesitation, Thirteen turned around. "Everyone, follow me!"
Despite the bulk of her costume, she sprinted toward the entrance with everything she had.
"MOVE!!" Aizawa shouted again, his voice cutting through the panic and jolting the frozen students back into motion.
I knew this would be too much for them… but we don't have the time.
"Tch." Aizawa clicked his tongue as he glanced at the approaching villains. Their numbers alone easily outmatched the class.
While the students pushed forward, he moved in the opposite direction, retreating backward step by step, eyes locked on the villains charging toward them. Quirks flared everywhere—true to the name, there were far too many to count. Every single one of them was abnormal.
Aizawa's gaze flicked sharply.
There.
His eyes locked onto a villain with a finger-cannon-like Quirk—then immediately snapped back to the dark entity looming behind them. He repeated the motion several times, but it didn't always work.
Boom!
Crash!
A gunpowder-like explosion erupted, shards of shrapnel spraying outward. Thankfully, it missed the students, slamming instead into the overhead lights.
"Kyaa!"
The girls screamed in unison—but their legs never stopped moving toward the exit.
It won't work.
Aizawa calculated rapidly: the students' speed, the remaining distance, the villains' approach. His eyes swept over the terrain before he positioned himself on a narrow platform—not ideal for one against many, but still better than an open field.
Fwoosh. Fwoosh.
Aizawa's rope-like capture weapon moved as if it had a will of its own, snapping through the air and intercepting enemies one after another.
Just because I'm a teacher doesn't mean I'm weak.
He would hold this line alone—or so he thought.
A punch from a mutant-type villain came straight for his face. Aizawa dodged it with ease and counterattacked in the same motion, but the impact disrupted his vision for just a split second.
When he turned back—
The darkness was gone from the fountain.
"Shit!" he cursed, spinning around just in time to see that same familiar darkness reappear—blocking Thirteen and the students' escape route.
He dashed toward them.
Shoot!
"Tch!"
A bullet grazed his hand, forcing him to halt. He couldn't push forward—not with his students still behind him.
Meanwhile, the hot-blooded students didn't miss their chance to strike—only to find their attacks hitting nothing but air.
"What is that thing?!" one student screamed as Bakugo's explosion failed to leave even a scratch on it.
Shock turned into fear.
The student froze again.
In the next instant, darkness swallowed almost everyone.
"Don't die!!"
The desperate scream of a classmate was the last thing they heard.
The more sensitive among them realized it then—their bodies were wrapped in something like a veil.
Nora glanced at his third ability, its icon dimmed by cooldown.
4 hours 59 minutes remaining.
+25% Movement Speed
+31 Armor
This should be enough, he thought.
Sadly… Aizawa-sensei is too far to receive the buff.