All Might, still suspended in midair, turned his head to look—and even he couldn't help but feel a flicker of shock at the sight before him.
Inside the massive crater, the hardened ground could no longer withstand the pressure of the magma. It began to crack inch by inch. Torrents of raging flames leaked out from those fissures, dyeing the entire block a blazing red.
Then, with a deafening roar, dark crimson magma erupted upward amid rolling black smoke. The tremendous force hurled the molten rock straight into the clouds. Even the sky was stained blood-red, and the entire district seemed to be swallowed by that overwhelming color.
The thunderous rumbling spread outward in waves. The ground was torn apart by magma, and endless molten rock continued to surge upward. Splattering magma battered the surrounding buildings relentlessly, and thick black smoke gradually engulfed the entire street.
After a long moment, the man-made volcano finally vented its fury. Burning, semi-liquid rock cascaded down from the sky, carving fiery red streaks through the air before crashing back into the already devastated street with earth-shaking force.
"..."
The people watching from in front of the screen were completely stunned by the scene Masata had created.
In their memories, this was the first time Masata had used his Quirk on such a massive scale. Nearly half of the training grounds had been destroyed by this volcanic eruption. Flames raged and thick smoke rolled through the mock city. Thankfully, this was only a training facility—if it were a real city, it would have been an outright disaster.
"This is just—"
Kirishima felt his chest tighten as he stared at the destruction. At the same time, he felt an overwhelming sense of relief. Back during the Sports Festival, Masata had clearly been holding back when fighting him.
"—a natural disaster!"
Bakugo finished the sentence instinctively.
Even though he had seen most of Masata's techniques and had even fought alongside him in the underground passage before, Bakugo was still stunned.
Bakugo's own Quirk was powerful and wide-ranging, but even if it were him, he could never produce destruction on this level.
The only one who didn't look shocked was Yaoyorozu Momo.
Her expression remained calm. She didn't care how destructive Masata's power was—she only cared whether Masata himself would be hurt. After all, once they got home, Masata would still have to eat the meals she cooked with her own hands.
Aizawa Shota stared at the footage in silence.
All he could think was how fortunate it was that Masata had come to U.A. to become a Hero. He still remembered Masata fighting the giant robot at the start of the school year. It had only been a single semester, and yet Masata had already reached this level.
If someone like him were to be pulled into the villain side, it would be an outright catastrophe for Hero society.
If I were facing him right now, Aizawa thought dryly, I'd probably be the one getting beaten.
At the very center of the volcanic eruption, All Might's experience was completely different from that of the spectators.
"So hot—!"
Magma surrounded him from all sides. This eruption, driven by Masata, hadn't been something he'd anticipated. Several molten projectiles caught him off guard, and the scorching heat continuously assaulted his body, draining his stamina.
While airborne, he could only keep striking the air to alter his trajectory, dodging the molten debris flying toward him. Beneath his feet, there were very few places he could safely land.
Leaping onto the top of a billboard, All Might finally managed to steady himself.
"Cough—cough—!"
But he quickly realized another problem.
With the volcanic eruption came clouds of toxic gases—sulfur-like fumes, volcanic ash, and other harmful substances filled the air. Breathing became extremely uncomfortable.
Covering his nose and mouth, knowing he couldn't stay there for long, All Might jumped again and landed atop one of the few buildings that remained intact.
He took a deep breath of relatively clean air before standing at the edge of the roof and looking down.
His view was completely blocked by thick smoke and volcanic ash. He couldn't see what was happening on the street at all.
"When did it get this bad beneath my feet…?"
In truth, All Might had misunderstood.
From the very start of the battle, Masata had been continuously producing magma beneath his feet. This time, however, instead of spreading it across the surface, he had been channeling it underground.
When All Might launched his surprise attack, Masata instantly used elementalization to evade it. The smoke and chaos above created the perfect cover. Just like before in the underground hospital, Masata had completely transformed his body into magma and slipped beneath the ground.
Those streams of lava he fired earlier were nothing more than decoys—smoke screens meant to delay time and draw All Might's attention. Naturally, seeing Masata attack back, All Might assumed he was still aboveground.
What no one realized was that Masata's Quirk had continued to evolve.
While in his elemental state, the range over which he could control magma far exceeded anything he'd shown before.
By the time All Might landed, the area five or six meters beneath the street had already been completely filled with magma.
What followed was simple.
From underground, Masata sensed the vibrations above. He compressed the magma beneath All Might's position. Once the pressure reached its limit, the violent magma burst upward, tearing through the ground and erupting into the open.
And now, Masata emerged along with the eruption.
"Man… I'm actually pretty tired."
Clenching his fists and feeling the exhaustion in his body, Masata let out a sigh.
That attack had consumed a tremendous amount of energy. He had no idea how much it had affected All Might. If it hadn't done much damage at all, then it really wouldn't have been worth it.
"Given the situation," Masata muttered, "All Might should be at a high point right now."
As the incarnation of magma, the thick smoke, volcanic ash, and toxic gases in the air had no effect on him. He shook the remaining magma off his body, retrieved the clothes he had discarded earlier, and put them back on.
All of Masata's clothing was custom-made at a high price, designed to withstand extreme heat. He wasn't wealthy enough to replace his outfit after every fight.
With a burst of movement, Masata used the elevated debris and nearby buildings as footholds. Combined with the propulsion of magma beneath his feet, he leapt effortlessly onto a high crane. Hanging from the steel framework with one hand, he shaded his eyes with the other and scanned the area.
"…Found you."