The moment the Speed Force surged through his body, Amano Sora exploded forward.
His figure vanished in a blur, slicing into the examination zone at a speed that left afterimages in the air. To the naked eye, he was little more than a streak of golden light tearing through the battlefield.
Even at his current output, Sora could have easily racked up enough points within the opening area alone.
But instead of doing that, he deliberately sprinted deeper into the testing grounds before making his move.
"Too slow… way too slow."
Sora stared at the robot in front of him. In his perception, it might as well have been frozen in place.
He kicked off the ground.
The next instant, his body launched into the air. A terrifying burst of momentum gathered in his leg as he twisted midair—
BOOM!
His kick slammed into the robot's torso, sending it flying backward like scrap metal. The impact carried so much inertia that it smashed straight into another robot behind it, shattering both into scattered parts.
Sora landed lightly, frowning.
"…That's it?"
He glanced at the wreckage. The armor was dented, the joints shattered, the frame completely unstable.
"So they just look sturdy."
After experiencing it firsthand, Sora realized something important.
These robots looked intimidating, but their construction was actually crude. The joints were loose, the plating was thinner than it appeared, and the internal structure was fragile.
"As long as you don't panic and aim for the weak points, these things are nothing."
He finally understood how someone like Toru Hagakure could pass the exam in the original timeline.
With her invisibility, even picking up broken parts and using them as weapons would be enough to destroy dozens of these machines.
"Well… since that's the case."
Sora grinned.
"Let's get this over with."
Speed Force — Full Sweep
The golden lightning flared again.
Sora shot forward.
One robot after another collapsed in his wake.
He grabbed a long piece of metal torn from a robot's frame and wielded it like a staff, smashing through enemy units at terrifying speed.
"One point…"
"Two points…"
"Five points…"
Each strike was precise. Each movement was efficient.
By the time he slowed to a stop, the battlefield behind him was filled with broken machines.
"...Ninety-nine."
"One hundred."
Sora exhaled and came to a halt.
"That's enough."
He tossed the metal rod aside and glanced at the wreckage with mild satisfaction.
"One hundred points. That should be first place already."
He stretched his arms casually.
"Now then… time to look around."
Holding Back
This time, Sora didn't activate the Speed Force at full output.
From his earlier test, he had already realized something important.
When he moved at full speed, the world nearly stopped around him.
That might be impressive, but it was terrible for real-time judgment.
If someone was about to be injured, he might not even notice until it was too late.
And more importantly—
If he ran at maximum speed the entire time, the ten-minute exam would feel like hours to him.
That would be torture.
So instead, Sora slowed down to a controllable level and began moving through the battlefield, watching for examinees in trouble.
After all—
Helping others meant rescue points.
And rescue points mattered just as much as combat.
Monitoring Room – U.A. High School
Inside the control room, silence reigned.
The instructors stared at the screen, dumbfounded.
"…Less than one minute."
"He already hit one hundred points."
"Not just that—he did it in the second half of the map."
"Which means he intentionally avoided interfering with other examinees."
The room erupted into quiet murmurs.
Even the experienced Pro Heroes were visibly shaken.
From the overhead cameras, Sora appeared as nothing more than a streak of gold streaking across the cityscape.
At this speed, even slowing the footage barely made his movements traceable.
All Might, watching from his seat, narrowed his eyes.
"…Three hundred meters per second."
He clenched his fist.
"And that's not even his limit."
Beside him, Principal Nezu adjusted his glasses, his sharp eyes gleaming.
"He deliberately slowed down. Look at his footwork—he's compensating for heat and friction."
"Which means," Nezu added softly, "his speed is even higher than what we're seeing."
All Might exhaled slowly.
"When I saw him before, I knew he was fast… but not this fast."
Nezu chuckled.
"A Quirk that enhances speed, perception, reflexes, and movement simultaneously… This is no ordinary ability."
He paused, then turned toward All Might.
"You seem to know this student rather well."
All Might hesitated, then nodded.
"I met him once in the city."
He briefly explained their encounter.
After listening, Nezu fell silent for a moment before smiling faintly.
"A strong heart, sharp instincts, and a desire to help others…"
"A promising seed."
All Might said nothing—but his gaze remained fixed on Sora.
There was one thing he hadn't mentioned.
The investigation into Sora's background.
Both parents—fallen Pro Heroes.
Only remaining relative—Takeyama Yu (Mt. Lady).
And most unsettling of all…
A Quirk that awakened at fifteen.
The more All Might thought about it, the heavier his heart felt.
Back in the Exam Zone
Sora moved through the battlefield, occasionally intervening when another examinee was in danger.
At one point, he pulled a panicked girl away from a collapsing building—
only to disappear before she could even thank him.
Elsewhere, he caught sight of bizarre Quirks in action.
A girl whose power caused mushrooms to sprout everywhere.
A boy who spun like a drill.
A dense fog zone that made visibility impossible.
"…This exam really does gather all kinds of monsters," Sora muttered.
Then—
BOOM.
A thunderous roar echoed across the testing field.
The ground trembled.
Sora froze.
"…It's here."
From the far end of the city, a massive silhouette rose into view.
A towering mechanical giant.
The Zero-Pointer.
Over a hundred meters tall.
Its footsteps crushed the street beneath it.
Students screamed and scattered in panic.
Even those who had been bravely fighting moments ago turned and fled.
After all—
The Zero-Pointer awarded zero points.
Fighting it was pointless.
"Finally…" Sora murmured, eyes gleaming.
This was what he had been waiting for.
But unlike the others, he didn't feel fear.
He felt excitement.
"Let's see if this thing can handle it."
Golden lightning danced across his body as he took a step forward.
The massive robot turned, its mechanical eye locking onto him.
Sora smiled.
"Come on, big guy."