Chapter 40: The Obstacle Race Begins
"THE U.A. SPORTS FESTIVAL!" Present Mic's booming voice erupted through the massive stadium speakers, making the very air vibrate. "THE HUGE BATTLE WHERE FLEDGLING HEROES SHARPEN THEIR FANGS ONCE A YEAR!"
The students of Class 1-A were already standing in the center of the massive, grassy arena, soaking in the blinding sunlight and the absolute madness of the roaring crowd.
"THESE ARE THE GUYS, AREN'T THEY?!" Present Mic screamed into his microphone, pointing down at them. "THE NEW MIRACLE ROOKIES WHO OVERCAME THE ENEMY ATTACK WITH BRAVE HEARTS! HERO COURSE, CLASS 1-A, RIGHT?!"
Izuku Midoriya looked around, his heart hammering against his ribs. The sheer scale of the cheering stadium was overwhelming. Next to him, Iida stood rigidly like a soldier, while Bakugo kept his hands in his pockets, a dark scowl on his face.
Zoro stood near the front of the group, his three swords securely tied to his hip. He looked at the screaming thousands with a bored, almost sleepy expression. So much noise for a few games, he thought, adjusting his green bandana.
"THEY HAVEN'T GOTTEN AS MUCH SCREEN TIME, BUT THIS CLASS IS CHOCK FULL OF TALENT TOO! HERO COURSE, CLASS 1-B!" Present Mic continued. "FOLLOWED BY GENERAL STUDIES CLASSES C, D, AND E! SUPPORT CLASSES F, G, AND H! AND MANAGEMENT CLASSES I, J, AND K!"
As all eleven classes gathered on the field, joining Class 1-A, the atmosphere turned cold. The students from the other departments glared at Class A with pure envy and resentment. To them, Class A were just "spoiled celebrities" who got all the attention.
Standing on a raised platform in front of the students was the R-Rated Hero, Midnight. She cracked her small whip, her presence instantly silencing the rowdy crowd.
"Quiet down, everyone!" Midnight announced, a playful smile on her lips. "Now, for the student pledge! Representing the first-year students is the one who placed first in the entrance exam... RORONOA ZORO!"
Midoriya smiled, while Bakugo clicked his tongue in frustration. "Tch. Moss-head."
Zoro let out a soft sigh, clearly annoyed by the formalities. He separated himself from the Class 1-A group, casually making his way up the stairs to the stage with a slow, confident stride.
He reached the microphone, standing tall in his blue gym uniform. The entire stadium went dead silent, waiting to hear what the "top rookie" had to say. Zoro looked out over the sea of students, his two eyes sharp and unblinking.
He leaned into the microphone.
"I'm going to the top," Zoro said, his voice deep and echoing with absolute certainty. "If any of you think you can stop me... try it. I'll be waiting."
The stadium was silent for exactly one second before it exploded into a riot of boos and insults.
"WHO DOES THIS GUY THINK HE IS?!"
"QUIRKLESS ARROGANCE!"
"WE'LL CRUSH YOU, CLASS A!"
Zoro didn't even acknowledge the insults. He simply turned around and walked back down the stairs, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Bakugo glared at him as he passed. "Nice way to make everyone want to kill us, Moss-head."
"Let them come," Zoro smirked. "It saves me the trouble of finding them."
"Now, let's get started!" Midnight interrupted, ignoring the chaos. She pointed her whip at a massive holographic screen. "The first game is what you'd call a qualifier! This is where many drink their tears every year! Behold!"
The screen spun like a slot machine before stopping.
[OBSTACLE RACE]
"An Obstacle Race!" Midnight announced. "A four-kilometer ring around the stadium's perimeter! Our school's selling point is freedom! As long as you stay on the course, anything goes!"
The students rushed to the starting line. It was a massive, narrow entrance gate that acted as a bottleneck. Hundreds of students were packed together, shoulders rubbing, breathing down each other's necks.
Above the gate, three green lights illuminated.
BEEP. One light off.
BEEP. Two lights off.
BEEP. Three lights off.
"START!" Midnight screamed.
A violent surge of bodies rushed into the narrow tunnel. It was pure chaos. Students were pushing, tripping, and shouting as they tried to squeeze through.
Zoro was in the middle of the crush. Instead of pushing back, he closed his eyes and focused. Sense the rhythm. Sense the intent.
Suddenly, his Observation Haki flared. A massive spike of "cold intent" surged from the front of the pack.
"Apologies," Todoroki's calm voice echoed.
A devastating wave of ice exploded from Todoroki's foot, instantly freezing the floor and trapping the legs of nearly every student in the corridor. Screams of panic erupted as hundreds were immobilized, glued to the freezing floor.
Todoroki sprinted ahead, confident that he had ended the race for most of them.
But a shadow moved above him.
Zoro had leaped into the air the exact moment he felt the intent, his boots never touching the ice. He drew his Wado Ichimonji, keeping it in its scabbard, and used it to vault off the wall, landing gracefully on the slippery surface.
"Pretty cheap trick, Half-and-Half!" Zoro yelled with a wild grin.
Bakugo, Momo, and Kirishima quickly broke free using their Quirks, and Midoriya followed by leaping over the frozen bodies.
Right behind the fleeing Todoroki, Mineta was surprisingly close. Using his "Grape Rush" technique, he stuck his purple sticky balls to the frozen walls and floor, bouncing off them with manic speed.
"I've outsmarted you, Todoroki!" Mineta squeaked, pulling a sticky ball from his head and preparing to throw it at the ice-user's back.
But before he could launch his attack, a massive, shadowy form eclipsed the tunnel exit. Without warning, a giant, mechanical limb swiped across the corridor. The impact caught Mineta full force, sending him flying backward through the air with a high-pitched scream.
"I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY, TODOROKI!" Bakugo roared, blasting himself forward with his explosions.
Relying purely on his monstrous physical strength, Zoro sprinted effortlessly, his balance perfect even on the frozen ground. But as the frontrunners burst out of the tunnel and into the open course, they all slammed on the brakes.
Blocking the entire path was an army of towering, metal monsters.
"Targets acquired," the massive Zero-Pointers buzzed, their red optical sensors locking onto the students.
"ARE YOU KIDDING?!" Kaminari screamed from behind. "The Zero-Pointers from the exam?!"
Todoroki stopped for only a brief moment, looking up at the towering metal giants. "So these are the fake villains from the entrance exam?" he muttered, a cold mist escaping his lips. "I wish they had prepared something a bit better... especially since my old man is watching."
Without hesitating, Todoroki slammed his right hand onto the ground. A colossal glacier of ice erupted upward, instantly engulfing the massive Zero-Pointers in a solid, frozen casing. But Todoroki didn't just freeze them; he waited until the robots were mid-step, freezing them in an entirely unbalanced position.
He calmly sprinted right between the legs of the frozen giants.
"I wouldn't get too close if I were you," Todoroki called back to the stunned crowd of students behind him. "I froze them while they were unbalanced. They're going to fall."
A deafening crack echoed across the arena. The ice shattered under the sheer weight of the robots, and the massive metal beasts came crashing down, completely blocking the path forward and sending up a huge cloud of dust.
Up in the commentator booth, Present Mic went wild. "INCREDIBLE! SHOTO TODOROKI FROM CLASS 1-A HAS TAKEN THE LEAD WITH A DEVASTATING ATTACK!"
Sitting next to him, Aizawa leaned lazily into his microphone. "His actions are highly logical and strategic. He created an opening for himself while simultaneously creating a massive roadblock to trap everyone else behind him."
Down on the course, the dust began to settle. Midoriya stood near the back, his eyes wide as he looked at the impenetrable wall of fallen metal. I can't use One For All right now, otherwise I'll break my arm and the race will be over for me! Midoriya thought frantically, his mind racing for a strategy. How do I get past this massive amount of robots?!
Miles away, inside a small apartment, Inko Midoriya was watching the live broadcast on her television. Seeing her son standing helplessly before the terrifying wall of giant metal monsters, she clutched a handkerchief to her chest, tears streaming down her face.
"Izuku..." Inko sobbed, terrified for his safety. "You can't possibly beat those things! Please be careful!"
In a completely different part of the city, another screen was broadcasting the exact same event. Master Kenji sat calmly on the wooden porch of his quiet dojo, his old television buzzing. When the camera panned to the green-haired swordsman standing before the wreckage, Kenji took a slow puff of his pipe and smiled knowingly.
"Go on, my student," Kenji murmured, his eyes filled with absolute pride. "I know you can handle this."
Back in the stadium, while the rest of the students panicked and hesitated, a low, dangerous chuckle echoed through the settling dust.
Zoro stepped forward, ignoring the screaming students behind him. He drew the Wado Ichimonji and the Sandai Kitetsu. The demonic aura around him spiked as he looked up at the wall of solid steel blocking his pursuit of Todoroki. He was ready to cut his way through.
"Finally," Zoro whispered, his eyes glowing with a feral thrill. "Something worth cutting."
.
.
For Advanced Chapters:
Chapter 48 is Available Now
(The First Bout and the Brainwasher)
The final showdown has begun. Zoro's opponent is Mina Ashido, who possesses the ability to produce acid. What will Zoro do? How will he deal with this acid, which poses a significant threat to his blades?
Pat re on.com/AZTh