Chapter 10 - Entrance Examination (IV Final)
(Nero POV)
The giant metallic villain emerged from among the destroyed buildings, throwing pieces of rubble everywhere.
Several candidates were hit by debris, but three suffered serious injuries: two boys and a girl.
The boys lost consciousness, while the girl fell to the ground, completely disoriented, with blood running down her forehead.
Just when she probably thought her situation couldn't get any worse, more rubble fell on top of her, burying the lower half of her body.
"Argh!" A scream of pain escaped her lips.
Meanwhile, without caring about the damage caused, the Villain Bot – Executor advanced.
If the Villain Bot continued in this direction, the girl would undoubtedly be crushed.
If Gwen were here, she would say this is a huge cliché, I thought, looking at the large Villain Bot - Executor.
To be honest, I could destroy this great villain, but that would leave me even more exhausted, as I already had a slight headache due to the pressure that "Limitless" was putting on me.
Perhaps the best thing to do is to simply turn my back on this massive Villain Bot and look for more villains around town.
Yes, that was the best course of action. It wasn't my fault; after all, the girl was careless. Why should I go to great lengths to save her and the two boys?
With this thought, I raised my right hand, extending three fingers—the index finger, thumb, and middle finger—toward the Villain Bot, which was worth 0 points.
Why do people like to make life difficult for others?
It's their fault; I don't owe them anything, and I have no obligation to save them.
Besides, someone will definitely save these people; I'm not needed for that.
Even with that thought, I looked with a slight smile at the thing that, in a few minutes, would crush the girl and the boys almost as if they were frogs in the middle of the road.
This is certainly not my problem, but one of the lessons ingrained in my head is: "If you are strong, never turn your back on people."
What can I do if my mother is always right?
I thought with an excited smile.
I will save them, but I refuse to run away.
Let's see if my strongest blow can destroy this metal thing.
The space in front of my fingers began to distort, overlapping and compressing into several layers.
The girl on the floor, who was the only one awake, looked at me with unfocused eyes but a pleading expression.
"Everything will be fine," I said with a smile, as a small red sphere formed in front of my fingers, expelling space itself.
The red sphere was charged with positive energy and contained several layers of compressed space.
I looked at the robot as the sphere solidified above my fingers, bringing the "positive numbers" in a red sphere into reality. Meanwhile, the robot didn't stop advancing for a single second.
Pointing my finger at the robot's head, I said:
"Red Reversal."
The red sphere was fired at high speed. Everything in its path was expelled by the sphere rather than attracted to it.
All eyes turned to the beautiful red streaking across the sky towards the Villain Bot - Executor.
The giant robot pulled its robotic hand back and threw a punch so hard it made the air vibrate.
Even before the punch and the red sphere collide, the robot's arm is destroyed by the repulsive force.
Every piece of the arm was destroyed as the sphere continued towards the Villain Bot until it hit the robot's head, which exploded, and the red sphere came out of the explosion, colliding with the buildings, and collapsing them.
The rest of the Villain Bot's body breaks and falls to the ground, making a loud noise echo throughout the city.
It seems that using the "red reversal" was a huge exaggeration.
[Red Reversal] is essentially me compressing space into multiple layers, bringing into reality the red sphere that naturally generates positive energy, which repels everything in its path. This effect is amplified by the many compressed layers of space, which expand when the red is released.
The greater the [Red Reversal], the greater its power of destruction and repulsion.
Red is stronger than blue, but it's more taxing on my body. Additionally, whenever I use red, there is a chance that I will fail; even after 10 months, I still don't have full control over it.
It's as if I'm missing something to be 100% in tune with my own quirk.
I thought with sweat running down my face.
"Oh!" I let out a tired sigh as my sweat dripped onto the floor.
I was a little out of breath.
With one eye closed and one eye open, I smiled.
"It's too early to rest. Let's defeat some more Villain Bots." I said, taking a step forward.
"THE TEST IS OVER!"
Upon hearing the voice that echoed throughout the city, I let out a huge sigh.
"So it's come to an end," I exclaimed, looking up.
••• ••• •••
(All Might POV)
Silence reigned in the room I was in.
The eyes of all the examiners were glued to young Fujiwara.
"That was beautiful." Midnight said with an ecstatic expression.
"That leaves candidate Nero with 65 points and 135 rescue points." One of the examiners exclaimed.
There was no doubt that young Fujiwara completely dominated this test; he certainly came in first place. Although the rescue points seem excessive, we judge not only the act of rescue but also the form, elegance, circumstance, and heroism displayed at the time of the rescue.
Not to mention that this boy hasn't taken a single step back since the beginning of the exam.
Strategy, strength, heroism—everything was perfect.
Perhaps the only thing I can criticize about young Fujiwara is his tendency to exaggerate.
But honestly, I'm not the best person to criticize exaggeration.
I clenched my fist this time, not out of worry or hesitation, but out of excitement.
My blood was boiling with excitement.
This was heroism in its purest sense. The new generation is truly surprising.
Young Fujiwara managed to defeat a Villain Bot - Executor with just one move.
He was the only one who faced the Villain Bot - Executor, and he acted like a true hero, inspiring everyone around him.
At the moment when I thought about it, young Midoriya used [One for all]. He put his legs together and jumped high towards a Villain Bot - Executor, beneath which stood a blonde-haired girl.
His legs broke from the strain, as his body was still too weak to fully handle [One for All].
"[Smash!]" Izuku Midoriya shouted, throwing a punch with green lightning crackling around his arm.
His punch hit the robot, destroying it; however, the force of his own power broke his arm.
My already clenched hand tightened even more.
I knew, young Midoriya.
You really can be a hero.
I thought with a smile, even though young Midoriya was in bad shape.
After all, young Midoriya didn't have a strong enough body to support my power; he was like a cup that overflowed.
Even compared to young Fujiwara, your rescue was clumsy, nothing flashy. Still, what you did in my eyes was magnificent, but it doesn't compare to young Fujiwara, who is still standing.
Meanwhile, you are falling from a deadly height, with your left arm broken and your legs broken.
"…"
Young Midoriya, you are going to die; you need to do something urgently.
I thought desperately, seeing my pupil falling towards the ground at high speed.
Before he could turn into a pancake and be reincarnated in another world as an elevator, a girl caught him by the collar mid-air.
The girl had white hair and a lazy expression.
Young Midoriya was shaking as she descended, and with a smile, she placed him gently on the ground.
My heart beat again with relief to see that my heir had not perished.
But in the end, the savior had to be rescued.
Not that this kind of thing takes away your rescue points.
However, I could see on his face that he was desperate. After all, he had 0 villain points and was unaware of the rescue points.
As we mentioned earlier, the Villain Bot-Executor is worth zero points; its objective is to hinder candidates in battle and prevent them from obtaining high scores.
It also secretly serves as a test of heroism.
As I was thinking about this, the announcement was made: "THE TEST IS OVER!"
Midoriya's expression was one of despair, probably thinking that he had failed.
But his despair was unwarranted.
Because in front of me on every screen was the exam's top 10 list.
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Nero Fujiwara | Villain Points 65 | Rescue Points 135 | Rank No. 1
Gwendolyn Maxine Stacy | Villain Points 9 | Rescue Points 100 | Rank No. 2
Kamala Khan | Villain Points 50 | Rescue Points 40 | Rank No. 3
Katsuki Bakugo | Villain Points 77 | Rescue Points 0 | Rank No. 4
Nanakusa Nazuna | Villain Points 40 | Rescue Points 36 | Rank No. 5
Eijiro Kirishima | Villain Points 39 | Rescue Points 35 | Rank No. 6
Ochaco Uraraka | Villain Points 33 | Rescue Points 40 | Rank No. 7
Ibara Shiozaki | Villain Points 36 | Rescue Points 32 | Rank No. 8
Cassandra Cain | Villain Points 67 | Rescue Points | Rank No. 9
Izuku Midoriya | Villain Points 0 | Rescue Points 60 | Rank No. 10
==========================
Although you are last, you made it into the top 10, Izuku Midoriya. Furthermore, this year, some Villain Bots had a certain level of artificial intelligence.
I have to admit that it's amazing that Yuuei hasn't been prosecuted by anyone yet.
So, 10th place is not bad at all.
But obviously, Nero Fujiwara secured 1st place, standing above all the candidates in an almost untouchable way.
Even though it's a cliché, this is definitely the golden generation.
A big smile formed on my lips as I wiped the blood that was discreetly coming out of my mouth.