"Phew... I‘m getting nervous..."
Momo was currently utilizing Total Concentration Breathing to relax her muscles and center herself. In the original timeline, she would have entered through recommendation, but wanting to test her own limits, she had declined the offer and prepared for the general entrance exam. With a katana created from her Quirk at her hip, she maintained a state of Total Concentration: Constant, keeping her body warmed up.
"To think I‘m in a different testing ground from Himiko... The school clearly intends to prevent collaboration between students from the same background."
Momo quickly realized UA‘s strategy of separating acquaintances to prevent teamwork, and though she understood the logic, a part of her felt disappointed.
Still, she was excited for a friendly competition with Himiko. She let out a long sigh as she stood in the crowd.
"Hey, look at that girl... Her body is insane. Should I try talking to her?"
"Dude, look at her ring finger. She‘s wearing a ring; she‘s taken. Give it up."
"Dammit... a beauty like that would be snatched up early. I‘m so jealous."
"Honestly... how vulgar," Momo whispered.
Disgusted by the way the boys leered at her as if she were a piece of meat, she turned a cold gaze toward them, infused with a trace of demonic killing intent. The boys immediately flinched and turned away, and she dismissed them as pathetic.
By the way... I wonder what Sister Kaina would like to eat tonight?
Both Momo and Himiko had grown close to Kaina after Michikatsu introduced her as his newest partner and a fellow Upper Rank Demon. When they heard the story of how she had been turned, they wept as if it had happened to them. Because of Momo‘s own trauma from her childhood kidnapping, she empathized deeply, and Kaina had become a dear sister to her.
She had vowed to care for Kaina as one of her "Sisters"—all the women in Michikatsu‘s circle had formed a bond akin to a sorority. Whenever they arrived at Michikatsu‘s estate for dawn training sessions, Momo would seek out Kaina right after greeting Michikatsu.
Recently, Momo had even begun learning to cook as a form of "bride training."
Should I try a traditional home-cooked meal today? Michikatsu seems to enjoy those.
Michikatsu and Kaina had both praised the miso soup she made recently, which had boosted her confidence significantly.
—{“Alright then... START!!”}
"Eh?"
The start signal from Present Mic came abruptly without a countdown. The other examinees stood frozen in confusion for a moment.
—{“Hey, hey! What are you doing? There are no countdowns in real battle! Move! Move! Hurry up!”}
At his shout, the examinees finally began to scramble into the mock city.
"Hoooooooo..."
Momo stabilized her breathing, heating her blood. With the enhanced leg strength of a Demon and the power of Total Concentration, she surged forward at a speed that left a gale in her wake—a pace the average human eye couldn't even track.
The first things to greet her inside the testing ground were—
"Beep! Target sighted. Kill!"
A squad of robots lunged at her with violent intent.
"Moon Breathing, Sixth Form: Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon - Incessant."
In a flurry of vertical, curved slashes, she reduced the three charging robots into scrap metal in an instant. Forms above the Sixth utilized supernatural extensions that were impossible for a standard swordsman, so she focused on mastering the first six. However, she could partially mimic the later forms' wide range using her Blood Demon Art: Alchemy.
"I will... not fall behind!"
With disciplined form and steady breath, she danced through the field. Her blade cut through the machines as if they were soft tofu. To the observers, her swordsmanship was a display of lethal, beautiful grace.
"And I won‘t rely solely on my sword, either."
Using her Creation Quirk, she materialized cannons and shells, firing them point-blank into groups of robots, clearing them out like autumn leaves.
"Maintaining a Breathing Style, a Quirk, and a Blood Demon Art simultaneously requires immense focus and mental effort."
She activated her Blood Demon Art, transmuting a cannon into a massive heavy crossbow, and fired it immediately.
"I‘m not finished yet!"
She touched her sword, merging the energy of her Alchemy into the blade, and stilled her heart.
"Moon Breathing, Fifth Form: Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy."
A vortex of crescent-shaped metallic slashes erupted from her blade, cleaving through the robots in her vicinity.
"Not enough!"
She slammed her hand into the ground, initiating her Alchemy. Massive spikes of asphalt erupted from the road like skewers, impaling the remaining robots in a single stroke.
"I am Upper Rank Two! I will not lose!"
Momo was racking up points like a runaway train.
.
.
.
"Spider Breathing, Third Form: Whirling Thread Coil."
With a flick of both hands, Himiko wove threads into a rippling wave that shredded the robots charging toward her. But she wasn't satisfied with mere destruction.
"Is this it? I was expecting more... Spider Breathing, Fifth Form: Puppet Dancer."
Using a mix of her Steel Threads and Sticky Threads, she struck a group of robots. In an instant, those machines became her marionettes, turning on their companions. This Fifth Form allowed her to control an opponent‘s body like a puppet. While it could even work on high-tier Heroes, it required the user to be physically stronger than the target and demanded intense concentration and refined breathing.
Himiko managed this mental split effortlessly—one hand manipulating the robots to fight each other while the other hand whipped out threads to slice apart stragglers. The other examinees nearby watched in absolute terror.
"Oya... is that all? This is quite boring..."
Himiko maintained her Total Concentration Breathing to keep her physical stats at a peak, but she stopped using her specific "Forms," finding the robots too flimsy to bother.
"Let‘s see, let‘s see..."
Using her enhanced agility, she leaped across the city, weaving threads between buildings and running along them as if they were high-wire paths. She looked like a predator spider scouting its web.
"I think I have enough points now..."
Descending from her web, she grabbed the main control line with one hand and yanked with all her demonic might. Every robot within the reach of her hidden threads was instantly decapitated.
"Finished already? Then I suppose... huh?"
She considered looking for injured students to help—acting the part of the friendly Hero—when she felt the ground tremble violently.
A massive, 30-meter-tall "Zero-Pointer" villain appeared. The sheer scale of it sent the examinees into a panic, everyone scrambling to flee.
Himiko, however, thought it looked fun. She wanted to see how far her strength would go.
"Hey! You! What are you doing?! Get out of there!"
A girl with earphone jacks hanging from her ears—Kyoka Jiro—shouted frantically, trying to stop her. But Himiko had already started sprinting toward the giant.
"Wha—?! Hey!! Stop!!"
Ignoring the shout, Himiko gave a playful smile and wove Steel Threads around her arms.
"Finally, a real opponent! This makes my heart race!"
She focused her breathing to the absolute limit.
"Spider Breathing, Fourth Form: Arachnid Web!"
She unleashed a massive storm of sticky and steel threads, binding the legs and torso of the gargantuan robot and anchoring it to the surrounding buildings.
"Spider Breathing, Sixth Form: Spider-Sickle Slaughter."
A technique involving 108 rapid-fire slashes made of threads sharp enough to cut diamond—resembling a flurry of scythes. The Zero-Pointer didn't stand a chance; it was reduced to a mountain of junk that collapsed into the street.
"At least that one had some resistance. The others were like paper. Are there any more?"
"""Like hell there are!!!""" the other students screamed in unison.
Himiko looked disappointed that her favorite target had broken so easily. She stood atop the heap of scrap metal, looking around for more, as the others stared at her in shock.
.
.
.
UA Entrance Exam Control Room
"Those two are incredible..."
The teachers in the control room were collectively stunned. They were watching Momo and Himiko, who were outclassing every other student with speeds and strength that far exceeded human limitations, all without showing a single hint of fatigue.
"Tsugikuni, you said you taught them your Breathing Styles?" Aizawa asked.
"Yes... they are my disciples."
"Remarkable..."
Aizawa kept replaying the footage of the two girls. Their movements were of a level of technical refinement that should be impossible for teenagers. While it was partially due to them being Demons, Michikatsu kept that part of their biology hidden to avoid unnecessary chaos.
"Can humans truly become that strong just through breathing?"
"It‘s absolutely amazing!"
"The physical toll must be immense. That's why Michikatsu said only those with talent can learn it," noted the other teachers.
All eyes were glued to Momo and Himiko. While there were other talented students, they paled in comparison to the sheer dominance shown by these two.
"They are practically guaranteed the first and second spots for this year..."
All Might nodded in agreement, then shifted his gaze toward a different monitor that the other teachers weren't paying as much attention to.
Young Midoriya... you‘ll have to be on your guard. This school is where icons of the next generation gather... you‘ll need to work harder than ever.
Watching his successor, the ninth user of One For All, Izuku Midoriya, he felt a mix of concern and hope. The mountain the boy had to climb was higher than anyone realized.
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