As Shin continued giving orders, he sensed that it was time for the villains to make their move as more than 75% of the civilians had been rescued. From his earlier observations, he had also noticed something crucial—there were no limiters placed on the incoming 'villains'. That meant they would be fighting at full power. The only logical explanation was that his presence had influenced the exam, making it significantly more challenging to push him to his limits.
And just as he expected, the 'villains' entered the scenario. The moment they appeared, murmurs spread through the students as they recognized them—Endeavor, Mirko, Gang Orca, Shishido, Mt. Lady, Crust and Ryukyu, along with a large number of other, lower-ranked 'villains'. As he took in the scene, Shin couldn't help but wonder how even the Hero Association had managed to gather so many top pro heroes for a mere provisional exam.
"The situation Shin predicted has happened," Nagamasa Mora, the Shiketsu High representative, said. His body, covered in blond hair, twitched slightly as he instinctively activated his quirk, which allowed him to manipulate and lengthen his hair in a manner similar to Ibara's.
"But how the hell are we supposed to do something against them?" Inasa blurted out. However, his frustration quickly turned into something else as his gaze landed on Endeavor. For a split second, deep-seated resentment flickered in his eyes before he forcibly suppressed it.
"They're all top pro heroes," Midoriya said, swallowing his anxiety. "Do they plan to fail us all or something?"
Shin smirked. "No. They sent them here expecting me to fight all of them." His confidence radiated as he continued, "But if that's what they're thinking, they're in for a rude surprise."
He glanced at the students and addressed them firmly. "I've watched you all fight. I've analyzed your quirks and figured out the best possible combinations for teamwork. Trust me when I say that you can stand against them." He met their uncertain gazes before adding, "I'll decide who fights who. Don't hold back—go all out."
Without hesitation, Shin raised his hand and constructed a massive dome, enveloping the rescued civilians and non-combatant students. Imbuing it with his Eth, he altered its properties so that none of the 'villains' would be able to enter, while his allies could pass in and out freely. The dome functioned by recognizing who was an ally and who was an enemy, distinguishing between them as it was imbued with Eth, a direct extension of his soul. This was yet another testament to why Rank 2 individuals far outclassed Rank 1.
Then, he conjured six additional domes across the battlefield. These were different—they weren't meant to keep people safe but to trap the 'villains' inside while allowing the students to move in and out at will. Once he was done, he turned back to the others and explained the mechanics of the domes and how they could use them to their advantage.
The domes, however, were currently empty—but Shin had a solution for that as well. There was a skill he had been intending to create for a while, though he had hesitated due to the high likelihood of skill splitting. However, once he realized that skill splitting wasn't necessarily a bad thing, he immediately proceeded with its creation.
This new skill was called Warp. The name itself was self-explanatory—it allowed for short-distance teleportation.
Now, as for how he created it: whenever he used Spatial Lock, he would flood an area with Force Energy, allowing him to interact with space itself and effectively lock it down. By reverse-engineering this process, he developed a method to forcefully tear open the spatial fabric between two points, enabling instantaneous transfer from one location to another. His approach was crude and highly unorthodox—something only possible due to his prior knowledge of spatial abilities from his original plane. However, once he refined the technique, Warp became a fully functional skill.
That said, creating the skill alone wasn't enough—he needed a way to ensure that anything passing through the torn spatial fabric wouldn't get lost in the void but would instead emerge exactly where intended. To achieve this, he modified his Force Pulse by extracting the spatial fluctuation sensing aspect from Spatial Lock and integrating it into Force Pulse instead. Though Spatial Lock lost this feature, the trade-off was entirely in his favor. The integration synergized perfectly with Force Pulse, transforming it into an active ability that allowed him to perceive the spatial fabric itself rather than just fluctuations.
With that done, Shin turned toward the others and shouted, "I'm going to send some of you into the domes. When you find yourself there, you'll be paired with teammates I believe you have the best synergy with, along with the 'boss' villain I expect you to defeat. Do your best to take them down—or at the very least, hold them off until the others finish their fights." He paused briefly before adding, "Keep in mind, the domes have a maximum damage threshold. Once they reach their limit, they will break."
Without hesitation, Shin activated Warp, systematically teleporting Todoroki, Bakugo, Inasa, Mora, Ibara, Momo Midoriya, Iida, Shoda, and Kuroiro into the domes, along with their respective 'villains.' The process went smoothly—except when it came to Endeavor.
Unlike the others, Endeavor was a Rank 2, and though he lacked knowledge on how to consciously wield Eth, it automatically resisted Shin's Force Pulse guidance. Warping him required three times the usual amount of Eth compared to the Rank 1 opponents. In the end, the entire process had depleted nearly one-tenth of Shin's total Eth.
"The rest of you will handle the smaller villains," Shin commanded. "Make sure no one gets near the dome protecting the civilians." Then, with a final glance at the battlefield, he added, "I'll be off too."
With that, he activated Warp once more—this time, teleporting himself directly into a dome occupied by two formidable opponents: Mirko and Endeavor.
…
A few minutes earlier—before the 'Villains' made their appearance,
Inside the main office overseeing the second test, Mera and several officers from the Public Safety Department were engaged in a discussion about the upcoming phase of the exam.
"This time, the provisional exam is extremely demanding," one officer noted. "I understand the necessity of including a pro hero as a villain due to government orders—especially with the introduction of QTF significantly raising hero standards—but this many? What the hell?"
"Yeah, seriously," Mera muttered sleepily. "Are you guys deliberately trying to fail them all?"
"Well… it's because of that guy."
"The High Guardian, huh?" Mera mused, exhaling slowly.
"So, the heroes will only be engaging him in battle?"
"Yes. That was the agreement. Only Gang Orca will be involved with the other students."
"That's a reasonable approach," Mera acknowledged with a nod.
His thoughts briefly shifted to the test's marking system. Every student started with 100 points, and falling below 50 would result in disqualification. The HUC professionals, along with stationed officers within the stadium, meticulously observed the students, assessing their judgment, efficiency, and ability application. Extensive data had already been gathered on each participant to ensure a thorough evaluation.
Then, there was Shin Akatsuki.
They had explicitly instructed him to remain passive in the first phase, ensuring that the other students had the opportunity to actively participate in the rescue efforts. However, in the second phase, he was fully permitted to unleash his abilities. Mera was certain Shin had already deduced this from his speech earlier. Because of this, they had been unable to deduct any points from him—after all, it had been their directive that restricted his involvement in the initial phase.
And then the second phase commenced—only for Shin to completely demolish their carefully laid plans. No one had expected him to possess a teleportation ability. In a matter of moments, their structured scenario collapsed, and now, instead of facing a controlled test, several students were about to engage in direct combat with pro heroes.
Mera sighed, already imagining the mountain of paperwork waiting him after this unforeseen development. "Yeah… this is what happens when we expect him to follow our machinations."
…
Shin turned his gaze toward his opponents, who stood at the border of the dome. He had expected shock or surprise at the sudden teleportation—both his and theirs, but there was none.
Mirko still wore her signature anticipative, predatory grin, unfazed by the abrupt change in location. If anything, her excitement had only grown. The moment she laid eyes on him, the battle lust radiating from her intensified—she clearly couldn't wait to fight. Yet, despite her eagerness, she was holding back for some reason.
Endeavor, on the other hand, remained calm and composed. A brief, calculating glint flickered in his eyes the moment Shin arrived, but beyond that, he appeared completely steady. However, no matter how nonchalant he seemed, he remained on guard, prepared for any possible attack.
Intrigued by their lack of reaction, Shin used Warp to teleport right in front of them. Again, there was no shock—only a firm acceptance. This confused him. He was certain no one knew about his teleportation ability, as this was his first time using it publicly. But what puzzled him even more was their inaction.
"Why aren't you attacking me already?" he asked, his curiosity piqued. "Aren't you supposed to be the 'villains'?"
Mirko let out a small chuckle. "Oh, I definitely wanted to—especially after your girlfriend and my temporary student, Momo, described all about you to me during her internship." She shot him a knowing smirk before side-eyeing Endeavor. "But, unfortunately—or fortunately—before we entered the stage, Endeavor here made a proposal to the rest of us pro heroes. And since I didn't care much beyond having a good fight with you, I agreed, along with the others."
She laughed lightly. "Though, your little stunt of separating all of us kind of threw a wrench into his plans. But honestly? I think it worked out even better for me."
Shin's curiosity deepened. He turned toward Endeavor—the only one he had been truly wary of in this test. After all, Endeavor was also Rank 2, and from the results of Revelation, which Shin had used on him earlier, it was clear that he had only recently achieved that rank just like himself.
"What proposal?" Shin asked.
"We already knew how powerful you are from the information provided by the Hero Association, which also had records taken from your academy," Endeavor explained. "Though, based on what you've shown so far, it seems even your academy doesn't have a complete picture of your abilities." He regarded Shin with a look of acknowledgment. "That's precisely why I wanted to fight you at my full power—no holding back. Especially since I, too, have recently grown much stronger. However, I knew that if either of us went all out, the other pro heroes here wouldn't stand a chance of survival."
"Oh?" Shin raised an eyebrow, not surprised by what was said, but by what was left unsaid—that the other pro heroes had acknowledged this fact themselves.
His gaze shifted to Mirko, whom he least expected to agree with such a statement. She caught the unspoken question in his eyes and simply shrugged.
"Well, it's true, and I won't deny it," she admitted. "He was already leagues above all of us—at least when it comes to pure destructive capability, rivaling even All Might in that regard. And that was before he awakened his Quirk."
"And that's the main reason I even agreed to his proposal," Mirko admitted. "No matter how much I love fights—especially the ones where I'm walking the thin line between life and death—I have strong survival instincts. So, there's no way I'd want to be anywhere near him when he goes all out." She glanced at Shin. "The same goes for everyone else."
"And that's why I suggested that I would fight you alone—only after you had defeated the others in a one-versus-many battle," Endeavor added, shaking his head. "But with you separating us, that plan went out the window."
Mirko smirked. "Still, since he was confident that you'd recognize him as the strongest, he figured you'd come here for the fight. So, as an improvisation, he suggested that I take you on first. Then, he would fight you." She clenched her fist, eager for battle. "It worked out for me, so I agreed. And since I wanted to let you know about this arrangement before we started, I didn't attack right away."
She flashed a battle-hungry grin and braced herself to launch at Shin. But before she could move, Endeavor interrupted.
"Before you start fighting, Shin, I have one question for you."
Mirko clicked her tongue in annoyance but held back her frustration. Shin turned to Endeavor, his expression saying, Go ahead.
Seeing this, Endeavor continued, "Since you separated us all, do you really believe the students are capable of taking down my colleagues?"
Shin blinked in surprise before shaking his head in amusement. "That's your question? Of course, I believe they're strong enough for the task. In fact, when I split you all up, I ensured that no more than three students would face any top-class pro hero at a time."
Endeavor's and Mirko's eyes widened at this revelation. They had assumed the students would gang up on the other pro heroes, but Shin had done the exact opposite.
Endeavor's expression darkened. "If you're that confident, then I'd like to see how it unfolds. I promise I won't interfere in their battles, so could you open the dome?"
Shin considered the request for a moment before closing his eyes and making a slight modification to the domes. "Fly up, and you'll be able to exit. I've also adjusted the domes so that those outside can observe, but no one inside can look out. However, once you leave, you won't be able to re-enter any of the domes—including this one. After my fight with Mirko, I'll come to you."
Endeavor nodded and began ascending, using his flames as propulsion. However, midway through, he suddenly paused.
"Oh, by the way, make this dome opaque from the outside," he requested. "I don't want to know about any of your hidden moves—if you do use them against her. Not that I expect you to, but it'd be unfair if I knew all your tricks while you knew none of mine."
Shin stared at him with a deadpan expression. As if he hasn't already gathered a ton of intel on me. He was tempted to ignore the request but then recalled something he wanted to do. His gaze flickered to Mirko before he exhaled and said, "Fine. I will."
With that confirmation, Endeavor sped up, exiting the dome within a second. His sheer speed impressed Shin, who then altered the dome's visibility, making it completely opaque from the outside.
But he wasn't given even a single second to relax as his combat instincts flared a warning. Reacting instantly, he brought his left hand forward, catching the foreleg of the Rabbit Hero, Mirko, while using Force Manipulation to absorb the impact entirely. He glanced at her, only to see her twisting her trapped leg and launching a follow-up kick with her right. He caught that too, his right hand absorbing the force within it.
This left her in an awkward position, unable to make a proper move. Shin exclaimed, "Hey! Don't you have any etiquette? Weren't you the one who wanted a proper battle? Then why attack without even a start signal?"
"I was getting tired of all the banter, so I decided to start the fight myself." Mirko grinned, her battle-hungry expression unwavering. She bent backward into a handstand, twisting her legs to smash him into the ground.
Realizing her tactic, Shin simply let go of her legs, allowing the force of her own movement to throw him back. He stopped himself after gaining some distance and landed firmly on the ground. He hadn't chosen to fly—because just like Mirko, he wanted a proper fight; something he would miss out on if he uses any of his other skills.
In fact, the moment he realized he'd get to face her alone, without distractions, he had decided to rely only on his passive Superhuman Physique and Force Pulse. However, her sudden attack had made him instinctively use Force Manipulation as well.
Shin clicked his tongue, berating himself. Even though he had already broken his self-imposed restriction, he chose to stick to it moving forward. But just as he finished that thought, he sensed Mirko above him, descending fast—this time with a brutal top-down kick aimed straight at his face.
Really?! She just doesn't care about anything once she starts!
Shin barely tilted his head, Mirko's kick slicing through the air just past his face. She twisted midair and launched another right after. He blocked it, skidding back a little from the force.
Before he could counter, Mirko planted her hand on the ground and spun, her legs coming at him like a whirlwind. Shin stepped back, dodging the rapid strikes. The moment she landed, she was already moving again, lunging forward with another kick aimed straight at his ribs.
He barely dodged, feeling the wind pressure from her attack, and countered with a sharp knee toward her stomach. She twisted midair, taking the hit on her side instead of a clean shot. Using the momentum, she flipped back, landing lightly on her feet.
She frowned slightly, her sharp eyes watching him carefully.
"…You're handicapping yourself."
Shin exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Yeah. Thought it'd be more fun this way."
Mirko narrowed her eyes for a second, then clicked her tongue before cracking her neck. "Tch. Normally, I'd be pissed if someone pulled that in a fight. But fine. This actually makes things more fun for me."
Her grin returned, sharp as ever. "Still, don't think for a second that means I'll go easy on you."
Shin smirked. "Wouldn't expect anything less."