When Shoto Todoroki unleashed the other half of his quirk, the entire arena erupted in astonishment once again. As the surrounding ice rapidly melted under the surge of heat, the audience couldn't help but gasp in awe.
"Half-cold, half-hot… is that really his quirk? He can actually combine two completely opposing elements—fire and ice—so perfectly!"
"In terms of pure ice control, Shoto Todoroki already lost… but his flames are the natural counter to ice. Could he turn this around?"
"That's an insane quirk…"
Even Endeavor's eyes flickered with satisfaction. His expectations for Shoto Todoroki had always been high. If his son couldn't even handle some unknown upstart, it would be a disgrace. This situation, however, was much closer to what he had envisioned.
In the arena, Shoto Todoroki's flames swept outward in waves. The intense heat continuously melted the ice, releasing massive amounts of steam. Within moments, a thick fog formed, obscuring the battlefield entirely.
"This should give me the advantage… High temperatures and steam will suppress ice formation, and his stamina is already draining…"
Shoto Todoroki panted heavily, scanning his surroundings with a focused expression.
This was his chance.
By combining fire and ice, he could generate vast amounts of vapor, using the fog as cover. With visibility reduced, he could hide his movements and wear Shina Etsuha down.
With that in mind, Shoto Todoroki intensified the heat around him. The arena was filled with shattered ice from Etsuha's earlier attack—perfect fuel for endless steam. In no time at all, the entire battlefield was engulfed, and both fighters vanished from sight.
"Smart move."
Aizawa Shouta watched closely, a hint of approval in his eyes.
Under these conditions, ice-based attacks would be severely hindered. Low temperatures and icicles would be neutralized by the surrounding heat, while Shoto Todoroki's flames didn't even need to land directly—they only needed to spread to pressure Etsuha. With this strategy, Shoto Todoroki had effectively reversed the situation, turning a disadvantage into a quirk-based counter.
"The advantage of dual attributes… must be nice," Aizawa muttered.
But at that moment—
Part of the fog suddenly dispersed.
Aizawa Shouta's pupils shrank.
Through the clearing mist, Shina Etsuha's figure emerged, a brilliant icy-blue light radiating from his body.
"What is he planning?"
The thought had barely formed when a vast sheet of ice spread outward from beneath Etsuha's feet, surging across the arena like an ocean tide.
"Freeze… everything!"
Whoosh—!
A terrifying wave of cold exploded outward. The thick steam instantly crystallized into countless snowflakes, drifting silently to the ground.
The battlefield was completely exposed again.
Shoto Todoroki looked down in shock. His legs had already been encased in solid ice—formed so suddenly that even his flames couldn't melt through it.
"I've got you."
Etsuha appeared behind him without a sound, an ice blade already resting lightly against his neck.
"…I surrender."
Seeing that familiar frozen blade once again, Shoto Todoroki didn't hesitate.
There was no comparison between them.
Deep down, he had already realized it—Etsuha hadn't been treating this as a serious fight at all. To him, this had been nothing more than a casual test of his abilities.
What a terrifying opponent…
Shoto Todoroki let out a quiet breath. There was no bitterness in his defeat—only clarity.
"Uh… Shina Etsuha wins!"
The Cement Hero wiped frost from his head, announcing the result with a slightly awkward expression.
As the referee—a U.A. teacher—he had nearly been frozen solid by a student's quirk.
If he hadn't reacted in time, he might not have been able to move at all.
"Shina Etsuha… I'll remember that name. Definitely a problem child," he muttered to himself.
He wasn't the only one thinking it.
Aizawa Shouta glanced down at his feet. At some point, a thick layer of ice had frozen itself to the soles of his shoes.
"What kind of quirk is this…?" he murmured, momentarily at a loss for words.
He hadn't expected the freezing range to be this vast—Etsuha's attack had affected not just the arena, but even the spectator area. The students watching from afar were shivering uncontrollably, spared only by the distance.
Those closer to the center—especially Shoto Todoroki and the Cement Hero—had fared far worse. Half their bodies were still encased in ice.
"This kid…"
Endeavor's expression shifted slightly as he looked down at his own feet.
Just like Aizawa, his shoes had been frozen solid—and even his flames hadn't been enough to fully negate the effect.
"Is this… absolute zero?" he thought. "For a moment, I felt like he could freeze the entire world…"
A ripple of unease passed through him. When he looked back at Etsuha, his gaze had completely changed.
"Shina Etsuha… what an interesting kid."