"Igarashi boy should be around here."
Instead of jumping down from the rooftop, All Might chose to take the stairs. He pushed open the building's door and looked out at the endless river of lava flowing through the street below.
"I just don't know where he's hiding," All Might muttered. "But this magma on the ground is really getting in the way."
There was almost nowhere safe to stand. The street itself had become hostile terrain, which made even All Might hesitate slightly.
"Smash!!"
Without changing his approach, All Might threw a punch forward. A massive burst of wind instantly blasted the magma aside, exposing the scorched ground beneath.
Stepping onto the cleared area, All Might tested the footing. Aside from the intense heat, there didn't seem to be any major problem.
"Judging by his personality, he won't hide for long," All Might said confidently. "He'll come find me himself."
With that thought, he stood calmly in the middle of the street, completely exposed, as if his entire body were full of openings.
"Flying Fire Shooting Star!!"
A loud shout suddenly rang out from above.
Masata leapt down from the rooftop of a nearby shop, magma surging violently around his arms as he charged straight toward All Might.
While sprinting forward, spheres of molten lava rapidly condensed around Masata's fists. Driven by both his own momentum and the propulsion of magma, they shot outward in quick succession.
For a moment, All Might's vision was completely filled with blazing red.
Whoosh!
Just like at the start of the assessment, All Might vanished from where he stood.
The moment his target disappeared, Masata instinctively swung his fist backward.
Sure enough, All Might's punch was already there—rapidly expanding in his field of vision.
"BOOM!!"
Masata elementalized in time, narrowly avoiding the devastating blow. However, as a result, his own attack failed to land as well.
"…He's not injured?"
Reforming his body, Masata stared at All Might's unscathed fist in disbelief.
He had clearly seen All Might's punch pass directly through his magma body. It should have been burned by the intense heat—yet there wasn't even a scratch.
Noticing the confusion in Masata's eyes, All Might raised his arm with a grin.
"As long as I punch fast enough," he explained lightly, "the wind pressure protects my fist from your magma."
"This kind of technique is easy for me," he continued. "But you, Igarashi boy—how many times can you keep using elementalization?"
A sharp glint flashed in All Might's eyes.
In the next instant, he disappeared again.
Whoosh—
The moment All Might vanished, Masata instinctively transformed into magma—
—and in the very next moment, his molten body was blown away.
All Might's attacks had no complicated tactics. They were pure domination—overwhelming strength and speed crushing everything in their path.
That was what made him truly terrifying.
Someone with no obvious weaknesses, strong in every aspect, was the most difficult opponent of all.
"If this keeps up," Masata realized grimly, "I'm going to lose."
Reforming into his physical body, Masata's expression darkened.
He understood the limits of his own Quirk better than anyone. From the very beginning of the assessment until now, he had almost constantly relied on elementalization—creating volcanic eruptions, propelling himself through the air, and dodging All Might's attacks.
Whether full-body or partial elementalization, the cost was the same.
His stamina was nearly exhausted.
Yet All Might's attacks came wave after wave without pause. Every time Masata barely reassembled his body, All Might would appear in front of him again and smash him apart once more.
It felt like a dead end.
However, the spectators didn't see it that way.
They knew elementalization had drawbacks, but they had no real sense of Masata's stamina limits. From their perspective, the battle looked completely different.
"Masata is incredible!" Iida exclaimed, his face full of admiration. "He's withstanding All Might's high-speed attacks without taking damage!"
It was the first time Iida had ever seen All Might fight this seriously.
"Yaoyorozu, do you think Masata can actually defeat All Might?" Chacha asked excitedly. "From how things look now, it seems possible!"
Naive Chacha had clearly become a devoted Masata fan. Her flushed face was filled with excitement and anticipation.
Yaoyorozu Momo, however, felt conflicted.
She knew Masata was strong—but her understanding of his power was still rooted in the Sports Festival. What she was seeing now went far beyond that.
Even Aizawa Shota had opened his eyes, a trace of surprise visible in his gaze.
He had assumed Masata's magma transformation was a trump card that could only be used a few times. But the battle unfolding before him completely overturned that assumption.
"I underestimated this kid," Aizawa thought. "I wonder if All Might can still draw out something even more shocking."
At this moment, only three minutes remained before the assessment ended.
Masata had lost count of how many times he'd been sent flying. Gasping for breath, he struggled to stand again.
"You're really tenacious, Igarashi boy," All Might said, finally pausing his assault. "But you're almost at your limit."
His relaxed tone and ever-present smile stood in sharp contrast to Masata's battered state.
"…You really are a monster," Masata admitted. "But I won't hide anymore."
Using elementalization to avoid attacks was nothing more than drinking poison to quench thirst. It drained his energy without solving anything. If he was going to lose, he would at least go all out.
"Heaven Dog!!"
This time, it was different.
Masata's arms didn't just turn red—they became dazzling, almost blinding in brightness, the color intensifying rapidly.
White steam poured from his arms as he placed them in front of his body. With a powerful kick off the ground, Masata charged forward.
"The temperature—this is hard to approach!"
Before Masata even reached him, the air around All Might twisted violently from the heat. He had heard of the destructive power of this move before—but he was someone who had punched through Nomu head-on.
"Then take this!"
All Might tore a thick steel bar embedded in concrete from the ground and hurled it toward Masata like a spear.
There was no sound.
Masata's fist melted the concrete instantly and slammed directly into the steel bar.
Crack.
The hardened steel snapped under the immense heat and force.
Masata grabbed the broken section and hurled it forward with all his strength. The steel fragment flew like a javelin, streaking straight toward All Might's chest.
...
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