"Boom!!!"
"Boom!!!"
"Boom!!!"
Inside Venue A, fire and smoke filled the air as Bakugo Katsuki unleashed his Quirk without restraint, turning the battlefield into utter chaos.
At the same time, his score climbed rapidly, breaking past the fifty-point mark in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, Kurosawa Ren's score stood at thirty-two.
"It looks like I'll need to speed things up," Ren muttered calmly.He might not care much about competing with Bakugo—but that didn't mean he intended to lose.
"Whoosh!"
"Boom!!!"
…
"Hey—hey! Those two already wiped out all the enemies! What are we supposed to fight now?!"Voices of complaint echoed across the venue.
Kurosawa Ren and Bakugo Katsuki were clearing out simulated enemies at an absurd pace, striking almost in perfect alternation.
"This isn't fair!"Several candidates began shouting in frustration. Because of the two of them, many scores hadn't even reached double digits yet.
"Boom!"After blasting another enemy apart, Bakugo turned sharply toward Ren in the distance.
"Pink-eyes!"
"Yeah?" Ren replied casually, punching another simulated enemy apart without even turning around.
"What the hell is your Quirk?" Bakugo demanded, irritation burning in his eyes.Ten months ago, he'd clearly been told Ren's Quirk was Hypnosis—but since when could Hypnosis smash robots with raw strength?
Something was definitely wrong.
"Take a guess," Ren replied, calmly reducing another enemy to scrap.
Unlike Bakugo's brute-force demolitions, Ren struck with precision, targeting the weak points of the machines.
From the beginning of the exam until now, Ren was nearly spotless, his breathing steady and posture relaxed.Bakugo, on the other hand, was coated in dust, his breaths growing heavier and more uneven.
"Guess my ass!"Bakugo's palm swelled as explosive force surged outward, the shockwave kicking up clouds of dust that forced nearby candidates to shield their eyes.
At this point, he was no longer seeing simulated enemies—only Kurosawa Ren.
-----Escalation-----
"Hah…"Bakugo finally destroyed the last remaining simulated enemy in his path. He bent slightly forward, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his face.
He had gone all out.
And yet—Ren still looked completely relaxed.
That only made Bakugo more furious.
"Hey… look at that!"A group of candidates near Ren stared ahead in shock, instinctively stepping back.
"What?"Bakugo glanced over impatiently, finally noticing the massive silhouette that had appeared.
"The fourth type of simulated enemy," Ren said, stepping forward calmly."It exists only to interfere with the exam. Even if you defeat it, you get zero points."
"But… it's way too big!" one candidate swallowed hard.
The towering machine loomed over the buildings, easily over thirty meters tall.
"Boom…"The giant mecha took a single step forward—nearby structures collapsed instantly, debris crashing to the ground.
"We can't beat it!"
"Run!"
"Help—!"
Once the first candidate fled, the rest followed without hesitation. Within moments, the area was nearly empty.
"Tch."Bakugo remained where he stood, lowering his stance and grinning fiercely.
"Bunch of cowards."
"Pink-eyes!"Bakugo pointed straight at Ren."Watch me—this is how I kill you!"
"Bang!"Explosions erupted beneath his feet as he launched himself skyward.
"Ho—!"
"Bang!"
Bakugo slammed his fist downward—
—and was repelled instantly, the impact sending him flipping backward through the air.
He landed cleanly, eyes widening as the massive fist of the machine swung straight toward him.
-----Intervention-----
Not far away, Kurosawa Ren narrowed his eyes.The three black tomoe within them rotated slowly.
His figure vanished.
"Whoosh!"
"Bang!!!"
Bakugo felt the world blur.When his vision cleared, the massive fist had already smashed into the ground—and he was standing safely elsewhere.
"Jingle bell~"
"Alright, candidates—the exam is over."
The announcer's lazy voice echoed through the venue as the bell rang.The giant mecha froze in place.
"The results of the practical test will be announced within one week. Please proceed to the classrooms for the written exam."
"…It's over?"Bakugo blinked, then spun around sharply.
Scarlet eyes met his gaze.
"It was you?!"He staggered back a step, anger flashing across his face."Who told you to interfere?!"
"If I hadn't," Ren replied calmly, brushing dust from his clothes,"you'd be paste right now."
He turned and walked toward the exit.
"I'll be going. Results come out in a week. We'll see then."
"…"
Bakugo stared at Ren's back in silence.
Two minutes later, he glanced at the spot where he'd nearly been crushed, fists clenching tightly.
"That pink-eyed Quirk…"His teeth ground together.
"It's definitely not just Hypnosis."
"…I'll kill him."