When we stepped out of the tunnel onto the stadium grounds, the glare of the floodlights and the roar of the crowd nearly blinded us. Beside me, Midoriya looked fairly nervous, while Bakugo walked with his hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face.
On the stage stood Midnight, a teacher and pro hero in a provocative costume, snapping her whip.
"Silence, everyone! It's time for the athlete oath! Representing the students will be the class representative... the one who placed first in the entrance exams... Mephisto Darkness!"
A murmur of agreement rippled through the entire stadium. With calm, deliberate steps, I walked up onto the stage. I looked out into the thousands of faces in the stands and then directly into the lens of the main camera.
"I pledge... that we will all give everything we've got," I said into the microphone, my voice calm yet firm. "We will show you the strength and determination of the new generation of heroes. Thank you."
Instead of arrogant speeches, I chose a straightforward, pragmatic tone, which the stadium rewarded with loud applause. While Bakugo grunted in dissatisfaction that I hadn't said anything wild, Todoroki and the rest of our Class 1-A classmates nodded in approval.
Midnight smiled and flicked her whip. "Ooh, how professional and dignified! Now, onto the first round! The first elimination round is... The Obstacle Race!"
A four-kilometer circuit wrapping around the entire stadium appeared on the giant screen.
"The rules are simple! As long as you stay on the track, you can use any means necessary! On your marks... GET SET... START!"
BOOM!
The massive gate swung open. Hundreds of students surged into the narrow passage, shoving and trying to force their way to the front. Todoroki immediately froze the ground and the legs of most runners, taking off ahead.
"You think that's gonna stop me?!" Bakugo yelled, launching himself above the ice using his explosions.
I, however, had no intention of wasting time or energy in the bottleneck. I raised my right hand and mentally activated my newly unlocked skill.
Shadow Exchange.
ZSCHHH!
In a single millisecond, I vanished from the darkness of the narrow tunnel and reappeared directly in the shadow cast by the first massive obstacle a kilometer ahead—the giant Level 0 robots from the entrance exam.
I had bypassed Todoroki and Bakugo before they even realized what had happened.
"WHAT?! How did he get over there?!" Present Mic screamed into his microphone so hard his voice cracked. "Mephisto Darkness from Class 1-A teleported directly to the head of the race in a fraction of a second! That is unreal speed and tactical overview!"
Three monsters of iron and steel towered before me.
I gripped my shadow daggers tightly as lightning burst from them, and with a single Ether-infused strike, I sliced the first giant robot in half before it could even react.
The giant metallic body of the Level 0 robot was cleaved in two and collapsed to the ground with a deafening crash. The shockwave from my Ether cut swept away the dust and debris. I kept running smoothly, without slowing down for even a single second.
"UNBELIEVABLE!" Present Mic roared from the commentary booth, causing feedback in the mic. "Mephisto Darkness not only skipped the initial bottleneck with instant teleportation, but he cleared the first giant robot with a single swing of his dagger! That is absolute dominance on live television!"
Behind me, familiar roars and explosions rang out. Bakugo was flying through the air with his explosions, while Todoroki used ice paths to navigate the wreckage of the sliced robot.
"Darkness!" Bakugo screamed with a murderous look in his eyes. "Don't you dare run away from me!"
I smirked. My style wasn't about reckless shouting. Thanks to the Embryo of the Black Heart of Ether in my chest, my mana flowed completely smoothly, purely, and in unimaginable quantities. Every step I took was swift and precise.
After a kilometer of running, the track opened up into the second main section.
Spread out before me was a gigantic chasm. Rising from the deep canyon were only narrow stone pillars connected by thin steel cables.
Some students who managed to fight through the remaining robots paused hesitantly at the chasm. For most, this was a deadly trap. Todoroki took off along one of the cables without hesitation, creating an ice path beneath himself. Bakugo simply flew through the air using his explosions.
I looked at the wide chasm. Balancing on cables was a pointless waste of time.
I sprinted toward the edge of the cliff and leaped straight into the void over the deep canyon without a moment's hesitation.
"What is he doing?! Did he jump?!" Midnight shrieked from the stage.
Mid-air above the chasm, I extended my hand downward and called out in a calm voice:
"Kaisel, come forth."
KRAAAASH!
Surging directly from the dark shadow stretching across the cliff face beneath my feet came a massive wave of red-and-black energy. A giant shadow wyvern emerged from the darkness. Its black wings cut through the air, and red lightning danced along its scales.
With absolute elegance, I landed on Kaisel's broad back. The wyvern spread its wings, flapped powerfully once, and soared upward with a deafening roar. Within seconds, it crossed the entire divided chasm, the shadow of its massive wings blading over Todoroki and Bakugo below us.
"WHAT?! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT MONSTER?!" Present Mic yelled so loudly that the speakers on the west stand blew out. "Mephisto Darkness summoned a giant shadow dragon right in the middle of the race and literally flew over the entire second obstacle! Is that even allowed?!"
"The rules state they can use any approved abilities," Aizawa answered from the commentary booth.
Kaisel landed gracefully on the other side of the chasm. I hopped off his back, patted his shadow neck lightly, and sent him back into my shadow with a wave of my hand. Todoroki and Bakugo were only just clearing the final few meters on the cables, watching in disbelief as I maintained my overwhelming lead.
Spread before me was a giant grassy field occupying the final half-kilometer before the stadium entrance. At first glance, it looked harmless, but warning signs clearly indicated otherwise.
The ground was littered with landmines. They weren't lethal, but their blasts were strong enough to launch a person back tens of meters and knock them out.
Todoroki had to slow down and step carefully to detect the mines beneath the snow. Bakugo, while airborne, was being fatigued by the continuous palm explosions, needing to adjust his flight path to avoid landing on a minefield.
Suddenly, a massive explosion echoed behind us. Midoriya, who had been falling behind until then, detonated a pile of dug-up mines using a piece of metal from a robot, shooting into the air like a human rocket and gliding right over us.
"A brilliant move by Midoriya!" Present Mic yelled.
Midoriya flew past Todoroki and Bakugo, closing in on me.
I looked back at the approaching Midoriya and the furious Bakugo, reacting instantly.
I circulated energy throughout my body, and instead of avoiding the mines, my acceleration was so absolute that I triggered the pressure sensors only after I was already five meters past them.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The mines detonated behind me in a chain reaction, but the flames and shockwaves couldn't catch me. It looked as though a wall of fire had erupted behind me, out of which I burst straight into the stadium tunnel.
Midoriya landed on the ground right behind me, but he couldn't make up the distance.
I crossed the finish line in first place.
"AND WE HAVE OUR WINNER!" the stadium roared. "FIRST PLACE IN THE OBSTACLE RACE GOES TO... MEPHISTO DARKNESS!"
The crowd went wild. Thousands of people chanted. I walked past the finish line without a single drop of sweat on my forehead, took a deep breath, and looked up at the scoreboard.
The night following the first day of the festival was quiet. I sat cross-legged on the bed in my U.A. dorm room. The window was slightly open, letting in a cool evening breeze.
My mind kept spinning around how to get stronger; even though I knew I was strong, I didn't know how much different this world was compared to canon...
I needed a unique combat unit. Someone who could command the elements and Ether with absolute perfection.
Create a new artificial unit... I issued the command in my mind, opening the system creation interface.
I envisioned his appearance. Former King Grey, a talented warrior, a master of all four elements, and a ruler of Ether from another world.
"Concept name:... Arthur Leywin."