All Might entered his combat state almost instantly.
A terrifying light flashed in his eyes as he stared at Masata like a hunting tiger.
This wasn't the same as facing Midoriya or Bakugo. Pure pressure alone could no longer affect Masata. Still, seeing his opponent already assume an attacking stance, Masata slowly lowered his center of gravity and took up a combat posture of his own.
"—!"
With the sound of air being torn apart, All Might vanished from his original position. Only the spiraling air currents on the ground proved that he had been there just a moment ago.
"He's gone!"
The students watching from in front of the screen cried out in shock. The cameras hadn't even caught his movement—All Might seemed to have disappeared entirely from the street.
In the next second, his figure reappeared.
Behind Masata.
"You know this too, Igarashi boy!" All Might said, his voice low and excited. "I won't hold back!"
Lowering his stance, All Might laughed.
"Can you react to this speed?!"
"TEXAS SMASH!!"
He gathered all his power into a seemingly simple punch and slammed it toward Masata. The terrifying wind pressure struck like a heavy hammer, smashing into Masata's position.
The shockwave swept across the street, flinging rubble into the air and instantly burying the entire area in dust and debris. Amid the chaos of crashing sounds, one sharp noise stood out clearly.
Crack—!
"All Might's going way too hard!" Midoriya shouted anxiously toward Aizawa. "If that punch landed, it wouldn't just be an injury!"
The All Might on the screen was nothing like the one Midoriya and Bakugo had faced earlier. His speed and power were on an entirely different level.
Yaoyorozu Momo and Chacha clenched their fists unconsciously. Even though they knew Masata wouldn't fall so easily, they couldn't help worrying.
"…Is it over?"
The smoke lingered for a long time with no movement inside. The students fell silent.
That was the reality—no matter how strong Masata was compared to them, could he really stand against a serious All Might? After all, there were only a handful of people who could withstand a direct hit from him.
Seeing the sudden gloom among Class A, Aizawa Shota sighed helplessly.
"Can you all be a little more patient?" he said calmly. "If Igarashi were that easy to defeat, would All Might be this serious?"
Those words hit the students like a jolt.
That's right—All Might was being serious precisely because Masata wasn't easy to defeat.
And sure enough, there was no trace of relaxation on All Might's face. His posture remained guarded.
Within the smoke, a crimson glow suddenly appeared—like magma gathering beneath a volcano before an eruption.
"SWISH—!"
Blazing streams of lava burst out of the smoke like miniature comets, shooting straight toward All Might.
"Tch… figures," All Might muttered. "You really don't make things easy, Igarashi boy."
From the moment his punch landed, All Might had known he hadn't struck Masata's solid body. It felt like hitting a water-filled balloon—Masata's form had dispersed instantly. The cracking sound earlier had been molten magma scattering across the ground.
"Once you face it directly," All Might continued, "you realize just how troublesome this Quirk really is."
The burning sensation on his fist still hadn't faded. While it was nothing more than a minor injury for him, those small injuries would add up if allowed to continue.
With a light push from his feet, All Might launched himself into the air like a missile.
The lava streams instantly changed direction, chasing after him.
"Tracking?" All Might thought. "No—he's controlling it… then I'll aim for the main body!"
"NEW HAMPSHIRE SMASH!!"
He clasped his hands together midair, adjusted his posture, and slammed both arms downward.
The air itself seemed to solidify under his strike. The massive air cannon dispersed the lava instantly, but its remaining force continued downward like a meteor.
The area where Masata had been became engulfed in even denser smoke.
Boom.
Nearly five hundred kilograms of weight crashed into the ground. Compared to the air cannon moments earlier, the impact was no weaker. A pit nearly three meters deep formed beneath All Might's feet.
"Igarashi boy," All Might called out confidently, "I know you're fine. But if you keep relying on elementalization, your stamina won't last, will it? My attacks won't stop!"
After dodging one of his blows, it was even more certain that Masata hadn't been injured by the earlier strike. But passively maintaining full-body elementalization was something Masata couldn't sustain for ten minutes—not with his current level.
"…Huh?"
Masata hadn't responded at all.
But All Might suddenly felt something strange.
"Why does it feel… hot?"
Masata's silence wasn't carelessness—it was focus.
And now, All Might realized something was very wrong.
"Not good!"
The smoke cleared.
Masata was gone.
Only scorched ground and shattered concrete remained.
"Where did that magma bastard go?!" Bakugo growled, his expression fierce.
No one answered him.
The rest of the class was still processing what they'd seen.
Only Bakugo—who had actually fought alongside Masata—looked thoughtful, as if something had finally clicked.
The cameras had been filming the battlefield from above the entire time. No one noticed that when everyone's attention was fixed on the explosions, Masata's shadow had slipped away from the smoke.
The truth soon became clear.
Cold sweat trickled down All Might's back as he looked at his feet.
Magma had begun to seep up from the pit he'd created. The solid concrete beneath him was softening, glowing faintly red.
All Might's face flushed.
Without hesitation, he leapt forward and abandoned the crater.
Even with such a quick reaction, the spreading heat still caught him for a moment.
"BOOM!!!"