*Thud, thud, thud!*
Heavy footsteps echoed through the thick cloud of dust. A figure emerged from the haze, landing on top of a tree. His current state looked similar to Sage Mode, but there were still some differences—after gathering natural energy, his body showed no noticeable changes.
"Ezaki-kun?"
All Might looked at Ezaki Kitazawa in surprise. He had thought that after using Midoriya Izuku to buy time, Ezaki would have chosen to escape the exam site. But clearly, that wasn't the case.
"Hahaha!"
All Might burst into laughter and said, "Ezaki-kun, you just missed your best chance to win."
"I don't think so."
Ezaki Kitazawa smiled, then turned toward Midoriya and shouted, "Midoriya! From now on, start running! I'll hold off All Might!"
"But—"
Before Midoriya Izuku could finish his sentence, Ezaki interrupted him.
"Just listen to me!"
"Got it! Understood!"
Midoriya nodded. Since Ezaki said this, it must mean he had a plan. Without asking further, he turned and started running.
But of course, All Might wasn't going to let him escape so easily.
*Whoosh!*
In an instant, All Might appeared right in front of Midoriya.
Midoriya's expression hardened, his brows furrowed.
"I can't let you win that easily, Midoriya-kun!"
All Might raised his fist and swung it down toward Midoriya.
*Whoosh!*
Just as the punch was about to land, another figure appeared in front of Midoriya.
*Boom!*
Their fists collided, sending a powerful shockwave through the air.
Midoriya was blown back several steps by the impact. Forcing his eyes open, he saw Ezaki Kitazawa trading punches with All Might.
"How long are you planning to stand there watching?! Get moving already!"
*Whoosh!*
In an instant, All Might appeared right in front of Midoriya.
Midoriya's expression hardened, his brows furrowed.
"I can't let you win that easily, Midoriya-kun!"
All Might raised his fist and swung it down toward Midoriya.
*Whoosh!*
Just as the punch was about to land, another figure appeared in front of Midoriya.
*Boom!*
Their fists collided, sending a powerful shockwave through the air.
Midoriya was blown back several steps by the impact. Forcing his eyes open, he saw Ezaki Kitazawa trading punches with All Might.
"How long are you planning to stand there watching?! Get moving already!"
Ezaki shot a quick glance at Midoriya and yelled.
"Oh!"
Snapping out of it, Midoriya quickly changed direction and ran.
Meanwhile, All Might locked eyes with Ezaki Kitazawa.
To be honest, he was caught off guard. The moment their fists clashed, he realized—Ezaki had managed to take his punch head-on.
"Ezaki... kun?"
All Might's face remained expressionless as he quickly withdrew his fist. He was just about to leap toward Midoriya again when, in the next instant, he saw Ezaki's fist already aiming for his stomach.
"His speed increased!"
All Might frowned and abandoned the idea of chasing Midoriya. Instead, he raised his arms to block.
*Boom!*
All Might was pushed back several dozen steps before coming to a stop.
"In just a minute, your strength has skyrocketed... That punch actually hurt!"
He shook his arm, trying to relieve the soreness from the impact. Then, a thought flashed through his mind.
"Wait... Ezaki-kun... You didn't take some kind of performance-enhancing drug, did you?"
Ezaki froze for a second.
"Performance-enhancing drug?"
He was completely caught off guard by the question.
It wasn't surprising that All Might would suspect something. A sudden boost in power like this—it was natural to assume something unnatural was at play.
"Haha!"
Ezaki laughed and explained, "Relax, All Might. I don't touch that stuff. I just broke through a physical limit I had before. I usually don't use this because it drains too much stamina."
Of course, that was just an excuse. He was just trying to give All Might a reasonable explanation for his sudden increase in strength.
But All Might trusted Ezaki. If Ezaki said he didn't take anything, then he didn't.
"You never fail to impress me, Ezaki-kun!"
All Might smiled approvingly and, in the next second, charged toward Ezaki.
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
Shockwaves from their clash sent nearby buildings crumbling one after another.
Inside the surveillance room, both teachers and students were completely stunned.
"This guy… is actually fighting All Might head-on. And it doesn't even look like he's at a disadvantage!"
Aizawa Shouta smirked.
"Looks like you made the right call, Aizawa-kun."
The principal nodded.
"This kid's strength is insane! All Might is the Number One Pro Hero, and yet Ezaki is actually holding him off!"
Present Mic said in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Class 1-A had erupted in chaos.
"Did you see that?! Ezaki-kun is actually going toe-to-toe with All Might! That's insane!"
Kaminari Denki shouted in shock.
"If word gets out, no one will believe it. A first-year UA student trading blows with All Might this many times?"
Yaoyorozu Momo said quietly.
"I remember seeing in the news during the Sports Festival that Ezaki-kun was called the next symbol of peace. Now I completely agree."
Kirishima Eijiro stared at the screen with admiration.
But Bakugo Katsuki… he wasn't happy at all. His face was stiff, his fists clenched tightly as he muttered,
"That damn bastard… I'm supposed to be the one who surpasses All Might!"
Todoroki Shoto, on the other hand, didn't show much emotion. But deep inside, he was anything but calm.
Only now did he truly realize—there was an overwhelming gap between him and Ezaki Kitazawa.
The battle had barely begun, but most of the buildings in the exam site had already collapsed.
All Might was unbelievably strong.
Even though Ezaki Kitazawa had entered his Sage Mode-like state and was holding his ground at the start…
It started off evenly matched, but before long, the balance began to shift.
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