My Hero Academia: Yoshikage Kira's Bizarre Adventure

Chapter 9: The Giant Robot

Although they had been panicked when they first saw the giant robot, the students had gradually calmed down. Realizing that its speed made it impossible for it to catch them before time ran out, they began to relax.

"We just have to wait for the time to be up, right? Taking that monster head-on would be foolish."

As they were comparing scores and calculating whether they had enough points to pass, someone suddenly shouted, drawing their attention.

"Look at that guy!"

A person in a tracksuit, wiping sweat from his face with one hand, had his back to the crowd and was walking, step by step, toward the robot.

The students cried out in shock. "Don't tell me he's going to challenge that monster!"

"That's impossible, right? It's a colossal robot! You'd need a gigantification Quirk to even hurt it." And it was obvious that guy didn't have a Quirk like that.

"Huh?" Mina Ashido's attention was also drawn to the scene. She looked at the figure's back with uncertainty. "Yoshikage? Why..."

Yoshikage drew closer and closer to the robot, but the machine, as if searching for something else, didn't seem to notice him. This strengthened Yoshikage's conviction.

Based on his earlier assessment, there should have been about thirty students in their test site. After the behemoth appeared, everyone should have fled, but the numbers didn't add up. If he wasn't mistaken, the boy who looked like a rhinoceros was still within the robot's search range.

He didn't know why the boy hadn't run out yet, but he could be in danger.

In truth, Yoshikage wasn't concerned about his life or death. This was simply for the points. If this exam had basic questions and difficult questions, then it was highly likely it also had an extra credit question.

And if he was right, that extra credit was about demonstrating the spirit of a hero—the responsibility to save others.

As Yoshikage approached, the robot's head stopped swiveling aimlessly. It turned toward him and swatted down with the back of its hand.

Despite its immense power, its movements are slowed down by its own bulk, especially against something so small in comparison...

The power of Hamon surged through his body. Moving with speed far superior to the robot's, Yoshikage dodged the strike, leaped onto its arm, and began to run upward along its length.

"That guy..." Someone in the crowd was moved, watching Yoshikage charge the robot without hesitation. "He has the courage to challenge such a powerful enemy. A true Pro Hero would surely do the same!"

"My dream is to become a Pro Hero..." another student muttered, his head bowed. He suddenly snapped his head up. "To just stand by and watch while others fight, waiting for the time to run out, ready to flee at any moment... I can't do that!"

The words had barely left his mouth before he charged forward. He didn't even make it to the robot before its massive hand slammed down, trapping him underneath without a chance to resist.

"What! He was taken down instantly!"

Those who had been about to charge forward hesitated. They knew U.A. had Recovery Girl, so he probably wasn't in any mortal danger, but facing such an unbeatable foe still took more courage than they could muster.

It was only human nature. Once the leader was defeated, the followers would lose their nerve and begin to doubt themselves. Is it really possible to win against that thing?

Just as they were about to retreat, a piercing screech of grinding metal came from the robot's hand, which was still pressed to the ground. Then, slowly, inch by inch, the hand began to rise, thrown off by a powerful force from beneath!

"Haha! A piece of junk like you thought you could hurt the great Tetsutetsu?!" Although dust and debris flew everywhere, it was clear that his body had hardened, shining with a metallic luster under the sun.

His voice was full of anger, and he seemed completely unharmed.

He glared at the behemoth. "I may not be able to hurt you, but don't think you can beat me that easily!"

He immediately threw his arms around the robot's leg. He stomped on its foot several times, but finding that he could only leave footprints without affecting its balance, he clicked his tongue and shouted to the crowd.

"What are you all standing around for?! Get over here and help me take it down!"

The crowd was stunned by Tetsutetsu's display, completely shocked that he was unscathed. As if waking from a dream, they let out a collective roar. "Take down the monster! We are heroes!" They charged forward, not even thinking about why they were fighting it, simply swept up in the momentum of the group.

Mina Ashido was confused. Isn't this thing worth zero points? Why is everyone ganging up on it like it's a raid boss?

Although a part of her wanted to follow, the dwindling supply of acid in her body told her it was time to retreat.

"I mean, I could attack it with my body, but still..." Mina covered her face with her hands. "Punching steel really hurts!"

Yoshikage had noticed Tetsutetsu when he ran out, but he hadn't paid him much mind.

"Sendo Hamon Overdrive!" Yoshikage channeled Hamon into his feet. Using the magnetic force generated by the Hamon energy, he successfully ran up the steep incline of the robot's arm.

"This suddenly reminds me of Bayonetta..." In the game Bayonetta, which Yoshikage had played in his past life, the protagonist frequently ran along the bodies of giant monsters, attacking with hair woven by magic.

Yoshikage felt a strange sense of déjà vu—what he was doing now felt as if it were overlapping with the actions of a character he once controlled.

Wreathed in golden Hamon, Yoshikage threw a punch at the robot's glowing red eye. It looked like a weak point, but the material was as hard as bulletproof glass. The impact sent a jolt of pain up his arm but had no other effect.

Hamon was far more potent for healing than for attacking. In the instant he flipped his body and landed on the robot's head to catch his breath, the scrapes on his attacking arm had already completely healed.

The glowing part of the head was how the robot observed the outside world, likely where its cameras were located. When Yoshikage hid on top of its head, it seemed to become a blind spot. Though the robot was still turning its head to search for targets, it gave up on looking for Yoshikage and focused its attention on the students making a commotion at its feet.

As I thought, a frontal assault is useless. In that case, what I need to do is find the student who hasn't shown up yet.

Using Hamon to connect his feet to the robot's head, like an assassin perched high above a city, seeking to synchronize with his viewpoint, Yoshikage scanned the surroundings. In the streets below, he could only see the wreckage of destroyed robots. There was no sign of anyone.

Did he hide indoors? While the smaller robots might not have it, this super-sized one was likely equipped with thermal imaging that could see through thick walls.

Or perhaps the ID tags were equipped with a GPS system, allowing it to pinpoint everyone's location...

Yoshikage enhanced his hearing with Hamon, carefully listening to the sounds around him. If he wasn't mistaken— "Caw... caw..." The cry of a crow reached him.

There!

Yoshikage leaped from the robot's head, moving with the grace of a parkour athlete as he jumped across rooftops that were level with the robot's shoulders. He paused for a moment on one roof, then jumped down, and without a hint of hesitation, smashed through the second-story glass window of an office building where crows were circling