Chapter 22: The Maneuver of Love and the Horse-Faced Hero part- 1
"See?" Inferno taunted. "Weak!"
Todoroki felt the heat. He felt the pressure.
(Do it,) Ethan whispered. (Ignite.)
Todoroki closed his eyes. He thought of his mother. He thought of Momo. He thought of the annoyingly persistent voice in his head.
"It is my power," Todoroki whispered.
His left side erupted.
It wasn't just fire. It was a torrent of flames so intense that the air shimmered. But unlike Endeavor's rage-fueled fire, this was controlled. It was brilliant.
Ethan, sensing the moment, decided to add a little System flair.
(System Shop: Purchase "Visual Effect - The Phoenix of Rebirth". Cost: 300 Points.)
As Todoroki unleashed his flames, they didn't just blast forward. They took the shape of a massive, soaring bird of fire.
The crowd gasped. Endeavor stood up in the stands, dropping his hot dog. "SHOTO!"
Inferno's eyes bugged out. "What? That shape... that is impossible! That is high-level manipulation!"
"Inferno," Todoroki said, his voice calm but amplified by the roaring flames. "You speak of heat. But you only know destruction."
Todoroki stepped forward. The ice on his right side and the fire on his left began to mix.
(Wait, are you doing the Flashfreeze Heatwave move? That causes a massive explosion!) Ethan warned. (Do it. It will be cool.)
"Let me show you," Todoroki said. "The difference between a candle and the sun."
He swung his left arm. The Phoenix of fire crashed into Inferno's blue flames.
BOOM.
The impact was cataclysmic. A blast of superheated air swept through the stadium. Inferno's blue fire was swallowed whole, suffocated by the sheer volume and intensity of Todoroki's power.
Inferno was blasted backward, flying across the arena and embedding himself in the concrete wall. His "Fire God" armor shattered.
As the smoke cleared, Todoroki stood in the center of the crater. Half his uniform was burnt off, revealing a very toned torso (much to the delight of the female audience).
He looked up at the VIP box. He looked directly at Momo.
He raised a fist.
Momo blushed furiously, covering her face with her hands, but peeking through her fingers.
(Status Check: Inferno is unconscious. Momo is smitten. Endeavor is confused but happy. And you... you look like a badass.)
"I..." Todoroki thought, looking at his hand. "I did it."
(Yes you did. Now, go to the infirmary. You are shirtless and thousands of people are taking pictures. Unless you want to start an OnlyFans, put a shirt on.)
Todoroki walked out of the arena, the cheers deafening.
[Incident Report: World 7][Target: Shoto Todoroki & Momo Yaoyorozu.][Status: Relationship Ignite. Rival Crushed.][Reward: 1000 System Points.]
(Another day, another saved relationship,) Ethan thought, relaxing in the mental void. (I am getting good at this.)
[System Alert: Anomaly Detected.][World 8: The World of Pirates... Again? No. Wait. This is the World of the Dead... no. Analyzing...][World 8: The World of Titans (Attack on Titan Universe - Adult Soldiers).][Host: Jean Kirstein.][Villain Identity: "Titan Lord" (Transmigrator with Titan Shifting ability).][Target: Mikasa Ackerman.]
(Jean? Horse-face Jean? And he is trying to get Mikasa? That is the ultimate impossible mission! She is obsessed with Eren!)
[Villain Strategy: The Villain plans to "save" Eren during the upcoming expedition, thereby earning Mikasa's eternal gratitude and debt.]
(So he is going to cuck Jean by saving the guy Jean hates? That is convoluted. I love it. Let us go give Jean some confidence. And maybe a better haircut.)
[Initiating Transfer...]
World 8: The World of Titans (Attack on Titan Universe - Adult Soldiers)
Ethan Hunt felt the transition settle into his bones. Unlike the high-fantasy sparkle of the Cultivation world or the sterile fear of the Zombie apocalypse, this world felt gritty. It smelled of horse manure, cheap ale, and existential dread.
He opened his host's eyes.
He was sitting in a mess hall that looked like it hadn't been cleaned thoroughly in a century. Wooden tables were scarred with knife marks. Outside, the colossal shadow of Wall Rose loomed against a grey sky.
[Initialization Complete.][Host: Jean Kirstein.][Rank: Survey Corps Officer.][Current Status: Cleaning a potato.][Love Interest: Mikasa Ackerman.][Relationship Health: 10 percent (One-sided crush; she sees him as a reliable, horse-faced teammate).]
(Ten percent? Ouch. Jean, buddy, that is rough. You are deep in the 'Friend Zone'. Actually, you are in the 'Teammate Zone', which is worse because she might let you die if Eren sneezes in the other direction.)
Ethan tuned into Jean's thoughts. Jean was aggressively peeling a potato, glaring across the room.
At a table near the window sat Eren Jaeger, brooding as usual, and Mikasa Ackerman, who was staring at Eren as if he were the last loaf of bread on Earth.
But there was someone else at their table. A man with slicked-back black hair and a smile that was a little too perfect for a world where people got eaten by giants regularly.
[Villain Identity: Marcus "The Titan Lord" (Transmigrator).][Cheat Ability: "Scenario Weaver". Can subtly influence Titan behavior to create specific danger scenarios. Also possesses a "Heroic Aura" that shines when he kills a Titan.][Current Objective: Marcus has lured a Deviant Titan toward the supply wagon route for today's expedition. He plans to let it grab Eren, then swoop in to save him, earning Mikasa's eternal debt: "I saved your beloved, now you owe me your life."]
(What a slimy tactic,) Ethan thought, disgusted. (Using the suicidal protagonist as bait to guilt-trip the girl? That is emotional manipulation 101. Jean! Stop peeling that potato! We have work to do!)
Jean dropped the peeler, nearly slicing his thumb. "Gah! Who is that? Conny? Sasha? If you are hiding under the table, I will kick you!"
(I am not Sasha. If I were Sasha, I would have eaten that potato already. I am your inner voice of reason. The voice that tells you that you are better than Eren.)
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