Shoto Todoroki - Starting Point

If the previous match Jilan Jiyu Midoriya and Hagakure was described as brutal, then the damage Midoriya inflicted on his own body in this match can only be described as cruel.

Countless drops of blood trickled down his fingers and onto the ground. His trembling fingers turned from bluish-black to deathly gray, yet he remained standing, his resolute gaze fixed on the booming figure.

Opposite him, half of Boom's body was covered in frost, which severely slowed him down.

With a difficult effort, Hō raised his hand, and a stream of ice surged from beneath his feet, spreading towards Midoriya. Midoriya, clutching his arm, staggered and jumped over, avoiding being hit by the ice stream.

At this moment, Shoto Todoroki stomped his foot again, and another stream of ice appeared from beneath his feet, forming a large chunk of ice that surged toward Midoriya. He did not dodge, but raised his left hand and flicked his middle finger, which had turned bluish-black, once again. A gust of wind instantly shattered the ice, pierced through it, and reached Shoto Todoroki, sending him flying!

At a speed visible to the naked eye, Midoriya's fingers turned dark gray. He gritted his teeth and looked at Todoroki. His body crashed into an ice pillar, but he wasn't knocked off the field.

By now, most viewers couldn't bear to watch anymore. No matter how exciting the match was, seeing Midoriya's bloodied and battered body couldn't evoke any excitement.

Was this really a normal match? Countless people had this feeling.

Jilan Jiyu were the same; they couldn't understand what the other was persisting in. One of them was unharmed, but his body was frozen and his movements were becoming increasingly sluggish; the other was covered in blood, and his arm was about to be crippled.

Uraraka tugged at Jilan's arm, pleadingly asking, "Class President, Midoriya's injuries should be healable, right?!"

Jilan Jiyu shook their heads. "I warned Midoriya before that even if we could heal his injuries, it would leave indelible marks on his body. If he continues to overexert himself like this, even if he becomes Pro Hero in the future, he won't be able to do it for very long."

Jilan Jiyu frowned. He had used Hamon to examine Midoriya's body before. Under normal circumstances, if he used his full strength even once, the pain from his crippled arm would trigger his body's nervous system, causing him to faint.

Even in an excited state, he can only remain conscious at best. Even if he wanted to use his Quirk again, he would be unable to do so due to the strain on his body.

But now, even if he disperses the pain and exerts all his strength with each finger, he should already be overloaded. There must be something unusual pushing him.

Below the stage, Rui En rubbed his temples in frustration. He had been angry and had injected the unpurified drug into Midoriya's body using a syringe the size of an arm. The excess drug had acted as a stimulant, suppressing the pain signals from the sensors to the central nervous system, resulting in a surge of adrenaline in Midoriya's body, making him completely disregard his injuries.

Thankfully, this wasn't a formal sporting event, otherwise Midoriya would have been suspended long ago due to his excessive use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Being wounded in battle can be considered an honor, but incurable injuries sustained during normal training will lower one's reputation and give the impression that one is unable to control themselves.

This Sports Festival is a stage for the Hero Course to showcase its talents and a recruitment event for Pro Hero. Midoriya's reckless actions will likely deter most hero agencies that are curious about his Quirk. (Mirko)

Few people would choose an assistant they need to take care of, just as few people would want to keep a ticking time bomb next to them.

Of course, Jilan Jiyu were among them; he glanced at his watch casually.

Midoriya punched Shoto Todoroki in the stomach, sending him flying and crashing into the ice wall, his own hand cracking open again.

"Izuku Midoriya, what are you insisting on? How many fingers do you still have left to use?" Shoto Todoroki stood up, coughing up blood, and said calmly, "Your injuries are far more serious than mine."

"Because I want to live up to other people's expectations!" Izuku Midoriya dragged himself over, slammed Shoto Todoroki's head against the ice wall, and gritted his teeth, saying, "I want to be that kind of cool hero who saves others with a smile!"

With an icy elbow, he struck Midoriya once, twice, until Midoriya finally gave up and released him.

But Midoriya seemed tireless, getting up from the ground again. Shoto Todoroki quickly distanced himself from him, realizing that something was wrong with Midoriya.

"You want to win the championship without using your full strength? What a joke! Everyone is fighting with all their might, but you're here with the idea of denying your father. Do you think you're someone special?!"

Midoriya stared intently at Shoto Todoroki. "Why don't you use fire? If you use fire, the ice covering your body will melt away, and dealing with a cripple like me will be a piece of cake. If you wanted to, you could have won!"

Midoriya rushed forward and, filled with rage, punched Shoto Todoroki hard across the face, striking his burn scar. He roared, "Why did you refuse? Wasn't that also your power?!"

Shoto Todoroki crashed through the ice blocks used for cushioning, rolled a few times, and then lay sprawled on the ground. The glacier-like ice on the arena gradually melted, and the temperature on the arena suddenly rose.

"Quirk is something passed down from parents to children, but what's truly important isn't that connection, but the realization that you should be in control of your own body. That's why I deliberately emphasize 'I'm here' every time I appear on stage."

All Might's laughing figure seemed to appear before Shoto Todoroki, completely overlapping with Endeavor's figure, which he would always despise.

"I'm just like you," Shoto Todoroki stood up, his left eye blazing with flames, just like Endeavor's. His eyes shone with a light that seemed to hold a hope that he had never seen before.

Suddenly, Hong burst into laughter, like ice that had stood still for ages suddenly melting, a laugh tinged with a unique kind of deep emotion. He laughed and loudly proclaimed the second half of his sentence, "I want to be a hero too!"

The flames Shoto Todoroki seemed to burn even more intensely than the sacred flames at the four corners of the Sports Festival, like a phoenix being reborn, announcing its existence to the world!

Endeavor completely disregarded the Shoto Todoroki was more conspicuous than himself. Seeing that Todoroki had used his fire abilities in front of the public under Midoriya's pressure, Endeavor laughed as if possessed by the joy of fire and walked from behind the stands to the railing.

"Shoto, you've finally accepted your power. Excellent! This match will be your new Qidian. Inherit my bloodline, constantly surpass me, and then go and fulfill my ambition!"

Shoto Todoroki glanced at him indifferently and let out a disdainful snort. If Endeavor knew that he accepted the power of fire because of something All Might said on a television program, wouldn't he go crazy on the spot?

Let him continue to think that way. Shoto Todoroki looked at Midoriya. "Midoriya, you're so badly injured, yet you can still laugh out loud. I really don't know what you're thinking."

Shoto Todoroki crouched down, frost forming beneath his right leg, flames raging on his left hand. He said in a deep voice, "I don't care what happens next."

Shoto Todoroki didn't believe that Midoriya was already nearing his limit, could defeat him in his prime.

"Just what I wanted!" Red patterns spread across Midoriya's body once again. This time, he wasn't going to hold back; he was going to use the maximum power he could muster to defeat his opponent!

The Cementoss's expression changed, and he touched the ground with both hands, transforming the cement into several walls that blocked the two men's way!

The two attacks struck the wall simultaneously, and several walls as solid as Rashomon suddenly shattered, unleashing a shockwave like a nuclear explosion that swept across the entire area!

Izuku Midoriya slammed into the wall like a rag doll. The stimulant in his body had evaporated in that punch. He could no longer keep his eyes open and was so tired that he wanted to fall asleep, but his broken body kept his brain in pain, stimulating him to stay awake.

At Midnight, she tore open the sleeve of her clothes, and the scent of sleep-inducing fragrance filled Midoriya's nose. He could no longer stay awake and fell into a deep sleep despite the pain all over his body.

All Might, I'm sorry, I couldn't grant your wish.

This was Midoriya's last thought.