Chapter 16: Pressure

Through the ice, Todoroki Shoto intently stared at Renault ahead of him, considering his next move. Upon seeing Todoroki Shoto's reaction, Renault didn't hesitate and immediately manipulated the air behind him, forming a spiral flow that propelled him toward his opponent.

'Since you won't make a move, I will.'

During his charge, Renault covered his body with reflections, then rotated in midair and kicked the ice in front of Todoroki Shoto.

"Boom!"

The barrier shattered instantly. Faced with Renault's unrestricted attack, Todoroki Shoto quickly stepped back and then swung out two columns of ice towards Renault.

"Aren't you being too cautious?!"

Facing Todoroki Shoto's seemingly harmless attack, Renault, who had been subject to brutal one-sided abuse in the basement, was somewhat disappointed. He raised his hand and slapped the ice pillars that were rushing towards him to either side. Then, he raised his right hand and violently slashed downwards.

Under Renault's control, an invisible wind blade formed and struck Todoroki Shoto's face.

Hearing Renault's slightly disappointed tone, Todoroki Shoto couldn't help but feel a little angry. Coupled with the fact that he had been suppressed all along, he also began to take the fight more seriously.

Breathing out a cold breath, a pillar of ice appeared instantly beneath Todoroki Shoto's feet and blocked the wind blade. This time, he managed to successfully defend against the attack, showing that he had started to take things seriously.

Facing Renault, who was still charging toward him, Todoroki Shoto no longer retreated. Instead, he charged forward on his icy pillar and, with a wave of his hand, formed a dense array of icicles that he hurled toward Renault.

"Finally, we're getting somewhere."

With a satisfied smile, Renault faced the incoming attack and used both fists and feet to directly shatter all of the ice. He then accelerated again and flipped onto the ceiling. In a relay, he smashed down from above, creating a large pit in the ground after Shoji Mezo and Todoroki Shoto dodged.

The exchange between the two only lasted a few seconds, but the variations and counterattacks had already left the other students in the monitoring room dumbfounded. Todoroki Shoto was still somewhat understandable, as they knew Todoroki Shoto was Endeavor's son and had likely received training since childhood. However, Renault seemed like an ordinary kid from a regular family. How could he have such rich combat experience and be evenly matched with Todoroki Shoto?

Watching the back-and-forth between the two, Midoriya Izuku couldn't help but swallow nervously. "Amazing...he's fighting completely on instinct, and it's so fast."

Similarly, Bakugo Katsuki, who had been focused on Renault, was now staring wide-eyed at the screen. He had thought that although he had lost to Renault in the entrance exam, there was still an element of luck involved. He was confident that in a real fight, he wouldn't lose. But now, he realized that he was wrong. Just from Renault's mastery of his Quirk and combat style, Bakugo Katsuki already felt a bit inferior.

And that wasn't even the end of it. In addition to Renault, Bakugo Katsuki also realized that Todoroki Shoto was just as strong. The young hero's pride had taken a hit. While everyone was focused on the screen, the fight between Renault and Todoroki Shoto continued.

After a brief test, Renault also realized that Todoroki Shoto had started to let loose, using his ice powers to their full potential. Although using his Vector Manipulation ability to engage in long-range combat and delay time was the best option, Renault didn't want to waste such a rare opportunity for a real battle.

So, Renault chose to engage in close combat, with his reflexes covering his punches and kicks. Facing the attacks of Todoroki Shoto and Shoji Mezo, he effortlessly broke through them with a single punch or kick.

What difference did it make if the hardness of the ice was increased? With his nearly Level 4 Vector Manipulation, Renault was able to easily shatter Todoroki Shoto and Shoji Mezo's attacks with his reflection. Even the cold air that came with their abilities had no effect on Renault, even as it gradually lowered the temperature around him. Blocking Renault's fist with his hands, Todoroki Shoto took several steps back before realizing what had happened.

"He can even reflect temperature?" After a moment's thought, Todoroki Shoto remembered the purpose of this training exercise and turned to his teammate, Shoji Mezo, who was watching from the sidelines. "We don't have much time left. I'll create an opportunity, and you go find the nuclear weapon. Can you do it?"

"...I understand," Shoji Mezo nodded seriously in response to Todoroki Shoto's sudden request. Although he knew that there was a lot at stake with the mission, he knew that he had to respond to his teammate's trust.

Taking a deep breath, Todoroki Shoto adjusted his breathing, then lowered his body slowly and raised his right hand behind him.

"I'm ready."

As soon as he spoke, Todoroki Shoto suddenly took a step forward, his right hand accompanying a more intense freezing force than before, swinging towards Renault. In an instant, the cold air and ice columns attacked the entire hallway. It was not like the previous spread along the walls, but it covered the entire space.

Naturally, Renault was also covered by this attack.

In addition, accompanied by the sound of broken windows, the huge ice columns directly rushed out of the building and came outside, stopping only after going more than ten meters out.

Gasping for breath, Todoroki Shoto turned his head to look at Shoji Mezo through the barrier. The latter also reacted and immediately stepped on the ice, rushing up from the spot where Renault had broken through from above.

In the control room, All Might was also caught off guard by Todoroki Shoto and Shoji Mezo's move. Although the surveillance footage was still on, the camera could no longer rotate.

"It seems that Young Todoroki was really pushed to his limits with that move. The consumption must have been quite high," All Might remarked.

Several girls, who witnessed the scene immediately asked, "Did Todoroki-kun win?"

However, keen-eyed Iida Tenya shook his head, watching Renault, who was covered in ice on the screen. "No, it's not over yet."

As he spoke, the screen began to shake.

The next moment, the screen went black.

Todoroki Shoto, who was starting to move slowly due to the freezing covering his body, raised his hand to block the strong wind that came towards him. He looked at Renault, who was unharmed and floating in mid-air and remained silent.

"To be honest, that move really surprised me. The attack power, range, and speed of execution were all impressive," Renault said as he landed gracefully.

He then saw Todoroki Shoto's condition on the other side of the hallway and raised an eyebrow, "You're not just going to use one ability to fight me, are you? In that case..."

"Okay, that's enough. Time's up!" All Might's voice came through the earpiece just as Renault was about to continue his attack.