"Villains? Who would attack me here, of all places? Or…"
Lock's eyes darted over the shifting silhouettes closing in. Whatever they were, they weren't normal people—their bodies flickered like shadows, and each one carried a wooden weapon.
Wooden, not steel. Non-lethal.
So they weren't trying to kill him. That ruled out random villains. Aside from the Flamingo incident two days ago, he hadn't made any enemies.
Then what were these things?
A thought flashed in his mind—Ryukyu's words from yesterday: "I'll ask a Pro Hero to give you a surprise lesson."
Could this be that "surprise"?
Lock exhaled slowly, eyes sharpening. "Fine. I'll find out after I deal with you first."
A chill flickered through his gaze, his entire bearing shifting. Magic surged through his veins.
"Water Flow Restraint!"
He lunged at the nearest phantom, magic coalescing in his palms. A blue magic circle flared beneath his feet, and a torrent of water burst forth.
The shadowy assailant froze mid-charge, engulfed in a spiraling sphere of water.
Lock ripped the wooden sword from its hand, pivoted, and raised it high.
More shadows rushed in from every direction, but Lock showed no fear—only cold precision.
The blade swept in a gleaming arc, slicing through the air.
A ghost's head dissolved into black mist, its entire body dispersing moments later.
"One," he murmured.
Rather than waste time in a drawn-out fight, Lock darted away, creating distance.
Never fight head-on against numbers. Use speed, strike, move, and strike again.
He called on the High Speed magic he'd learned—Jet's magic—and let his body blur through the air. The borrowed combat instincts from Erza's Requip experience guided his blade; swordplay came to him naturally now.
Another blinding flash cut through the gloom.
A second phantom shattered into motes of shadow.
"Almost there…"
He glanced around. Every remaining ghost had emerged from hiding and was chasing him now, clustered together exactly as he wanted.
"Wings!"
He channeled power into the wooden sword, drawing runes in midair.
A brilliant magic circle unfolded, glowing black and blue, as spectral dragon wings burst from his shoulders.
Lock spread them wide—and soared upward.
From high above, he looked down at the gathered phantoms below, a fierce grin tugging at his lips.
"Come," he said softly. "Let's see how you handle this.
The thunder that crushes the raging seas."
Magic surged through his body, raw and untamed.
Even the air trembled.
He opened his eyes—now gleaming gold.
Arcs of lightning crackled around his arm, lifting his hair upright in static fury.
A bolt-shaped mark of light appeared between his brows, radiating violent energy.
"Thunder—Overwhelms—the Raging Waves!"
He thrust both hands skyward. Magic poured upward in a blinding surge.
The white clouds above twisted into rolling black thunderheads.
A vast golden magic circle formed within them, thunder rumbling like the growl of a god.
Boom—BOOM!
Flashes of gold illuminated the entire sky. The oppressive pressure of the storm could crush anything below.
Lock hesitated for a second. If he actually let this attack descend, it would level the entire Dagobah Seaside Park.
Before he could decide, a desperate voice shouted from below:
"Wait! Stop! That's enough!"
He immediately released the spell, letting the storm dissolve into harmless light.
The oppressive energy dispersed; silence returned to the park.
As the last sparks faded, Lock descended slowly, wings folding back into nothing.
The shadowy figures vanished, retreating into the form of a single man.
The man wore a long brown coat that hid most of his body, his face round and entirely black—clearly altered by his Quirk.
"Lock, right?" he said quickly, voice trembling from residual fear. "I'm the Pro Hero Ryukyu asked to handle your special training." He gave a quick bow. "Hero name: Phantom Soul. I also teach at U.A. High School."
Lock blinked, then nodded. "I see. And those things just now?"
"Those were my Quirk projections," Phantom Soul explained, wiping sweat from his brow. "My Quirk's called Double Phantom. I can create multiple shadow clones with limited awareness."
They were perfect for combat drills, scouting, and rescue practice—but what he'd just witnessed had been no ordinary sparring.
He swallowed hard. That lightning… If that had hit, I'd have lost every clone—and half my sanity from the backlash.
Even after Ryukyu warned him that Lock's Quirk could "communicate with all things," he hadn't expected this level of destructive power. Summoning thunderclouds alone was unbelievable.
"Kids these days," he muttered under his breath, half in awe, half in disbelief. "They're terrifying."
When he'd first heard about a second-year student wanting to take the Pro Hero License Exam, he thought Ryukyu was joking. A second-year? Passing the exam? Impossible.
But after witnessing Lock's display, Phantom Soul wasn't so sure anymore.
He looked at the young man before him—calm, confident, radiating quiet strength—and exhaled.
Maybe this one really will pass.
Maybe he'll surprise the whole world.
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