The sun beat down on the packed U.A. stadium, where tens of thousands of spectators were still applauding my victory in the obstacle race. Midnight snapped her whip on the stage to bring the crowd to order, and the leaderboard displaying point values lit up on the giant screen.
"And now for the second round!" Midnight called out with a provocative smile. "Based on your results in the race, you've been awarded points! Every subsequent position is worth five more points than the previous one... except for first place!"
The screen flashed, and a colossal number appeared underneath my name:
[ 1st Place: Mephisto Darkness – 10,000,000 POINTS ]
Dead silence immediately fell over the entire stadium. A second later, the gazes of every competitor turned directly toward me. Pure predatory ferocity flared in the eyes of Bakugo, Todoroki, and the rest. For any of them, snatching my headband meant a guaranteed spot in the finals.
"That's right! The second event is the Cavalry Battle (Cavalry Battle)!" Midnight shouted. "Form teams of two to four people! The match will last fifteen minutes. The rider wears a headband with the total point value of the entire team! You can take points however you like, but attacks meant to intentionally kill are strictly prohibited!"
As soon as Midnight started the fifteen-minute prep timer, a literal void formed around me. Nobody from Class 1-A or the other departments wanted to come anywhere near me. It was only logical... having someone with ten million points on your team meant becoming the target for all forty other contestants.
"Nobody has the guts?" I muttered with a slight smile, crossing my arms over my chest.
With just one minute remaining, Tokoyami stepped up to me, his expression entirely serious. "Shadows gravitate toward darkness, Mephisto. My Dark Shadow senses a strange calmness and respect in your presence. If you'll have me, I offer you my defense."
"I'll take you, Tokoyami," I nodded. "Your defense is exceptional."
Immediately after, Mei Hatsume from the support course jogged over to us with her bizarre inventions strapped to her back. "Yeah! You're the first-place guy! If I'm on your team, all the investors will see my cute babies on live TV!"
Joining us as the fourth member was Shoji, whose multiple arms were ideal for creating a living shield.
We set up our formation. Shoji and Hatsume formed the base, Tokoyami served as our versatile defense, and I sat on top as the rider, wearing the 10,000,000-point headband across my forehead.
"GET SET... START!" Present Mic thundered.
BOOM!
In a single second, more than half of all the teams lunged directly at me.
"WE'VE GOT YOU, DARKNESS!" students from the general course yelled.
"Tokoyami, Dark Shadow!" I commanded.
"Understood!" Dark Shadow surged forward like a black beast, repelling the first three teams with a single sweep.
Suddenly, however, Bakugo descended from the air with a wild roar and explosions bursting from his palms. "GIVE ME THAT HEADBAND, YOU BASTARD!"
Bakugo reached his hand straight for my forehead. It looked as though he was about to hit his mark.
"Ruler's Authority."
An invisible shockwave hit Bakugo right in mid-air, blasting him back twenty meters. Bakugo slammed into the ground, tumbled, and was caught out of the air by his teammate Sero using his tape.
"Damn it!" Bakugo growled, spitting onto the ground.
"Keep your distance!" Todoroki commanded from the other side of the field, closing in on us with his team—Iida, Yaoyorozu, and Kaminari. "He has too many options. We have to pin him down all at once."
Todoroki's team began slowly encircling us. Yaoyorozu created an insulating sheet from her body, and Kaminari released a massive electrical discharge that wiped out several surrounding teams.
"Mephisto, this is going to be tight!" Tokoyami warned me, watching Todoroki advance toward us with ice primed on his right hand while Iida dropped into a sprinting stance.
"Stay calm," I replied evenly. "Let them come."