Burning Through the Budget

Every eye in the stadium turned to the blue light.

It gleamed like fireworks, brilliant enough to steal the attention of the entire crowd.

Yuto's right hand held the hilt of Wado Ichimonji.

Pressure gathered around the blade. He took his stance.

The blade left its sheath in a single clean motion.

"One Sword Style: Three Hundred Sixty Pound Phoenix."

A blue flying slash tore forward.

With the power of the Gura Gura no Mi added to it, the light split the air as it flew, powerful enough to make the stadium tremble.

It rushed out like a dragon breaking through the sea.

Boom. Boom. Boom. A blue arc ripped across the road and pierced five giant robots in a single pass. All five collapsed.

The ground shook beneath them, and a huge cloud of dust rose.

For a moment, the stadium was silent.

Was that really Yuto?

The spectators and competitors stared, stunned.

That was a sword technique.

One slash had cut through five giant robots.

That one strike brought the entire stadium to life.

In that moment, Yuto was no longer unknown.

If they had not seen it with their own eyes, they would not have believed it. Present Mic recovered first.

"Listeners, you saw that right! Class 1-A's Yuto Kanzaki just destroyed five giant robots with one beautiful slash! Class 1-A really is full of talent, and he wasn't bluffing. He has the look of a champion!"

The crowd finally reacted. "Yuto!"

"That was insane!"

"Everyone else struggled against those robots. He cut them down like they were nothing!"

"Who said Yuto didn't deserve to be the representative?"

"A dark horse. I want to see him fight Todoroki in the finals."

In the guest seats, All Might clenched his fist.

"Nice work, Young Yuto."

Endeavor's face tightened. "This is a race, not a robot-smashing contest. The one who reaches the finish line first is the winner." Nezu sipped his coffee.

"Yuto did well, but Endeavor is not wrong. The Sports Festival is decided by results. I believe he understands that too. We should wait for the ending."

He paused. "If Todoroki goes all out, I still favor Half-Cold Half-Hot..."

Clink. Nezu's coffee cup slipped from his hand.

His eyes fixed on the course. Everyone else froze too.

Yuto still held Wado Ichimonji. Blue light flickered around the blade like living flame.

"I don't need your approval," Yuto said. "And I'm not the challenger here. Get the order right."

His gaze moved over the course.

"The strong are the ones who get challenged."

The sword flashed again.

"One Sword Style: Three Hundred Sixty Pound Phoenix."

The blue slash roared forward. One robot.

Two. Three.

Six. In a single slash, six more giant robots exploded like paper targets.

The blasts thundered through the sky. The crowd stared.

Yuto could have kept running.

Why was he staying to destroy the robots? The answer was simple.

He was building a reputation.

The show was not over.

"Three Hundred Sixty Pound Phoenix."

Another blue arc tore through the course.

Five more giant robots exploded.

This time, even Nezu's smile twitched.

The budget was going up in smoke.

There had been thirty giant robots.

In the blink of an eye, Yuto had destroyed sixteen by himself. Those robots were money.

Nezu quietly connected to Present Mic's headset.

"Present Mic. Are you seeing this? Sixteen giant robots are gone. That's hundreds of millions of yen worth of equipment. If this continues, Yuto will destroy every robot on the course."

His tone remained polite.

"And his attacks are total losses. The broken units can't be repaired."

Present Mic felt his stomach drop.

"Principal, you can't blame me for this. I didn't know Yuto would slice through them like scrap metal. The problem is that he is too strong."

Aizawa, who had seen Yuto at the USJ, shook his head.

"You underestimated him. That kid is no ordinary first-year. He still has plenty of hidden moves."

Nezu gave the order.

"If you keep letting Yuto destroy the robots, the cost of the Robo Inferno units will be deducted from your salary."

Present Mic paled. "Principal, please don't say that."

The line cut off. Present Mic stared at the course in despair.

What was he supposed to do?

The audience, meanwhile, loved every second of it.

"This is amazing. He is cutting down giant robots like they aren'thing."

"Those machines must be expensive. U.A. is really burning money today."

"One slash has to cost a fortune."

The comments only made Present Mic feel worse.

Then he looked back at the course and almost lost it.

Yuto's hand had returned to the same drawing stance.

Was he going to continue?

No.

Please, no.

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