Hello and welcome back! We have reached chapter ten of Hero, and we are right in the thick of the competition! I don't have much else to say before the chapter begins, so let's get right back into where we left off!

#################################

Kytheon, after grabbing a drink of water, headed back up into the bleachers to watch the coming matches with his classmates. When he arrived at the private booth, he was greeted by cheers and congratulations from his fellow classmates, and out of the corner of his eye he saw the barest glimmer of respect from Bakugo.

"That was so impressive man!"

"Yeah! You just blew through that girl's vines like they were nothing!"

"It almost seemed like you weren't gonna make it!"

Kytheon couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly as he tried to quell the noise. "Now, now, it was far from easy! Ibara was a tough opponent, and I wouldn't doubt that many of you would have likely lost. I only managed to scrape by by the skin of my teeth, after all. I just managed to get the opening I needed to win, so she deserves as much respect as any of you do." He said, moving over to his seat in the front next to the one student who didn't seem to notice his reentry to the booth.

When he glanced over in curiosity, he saw that Izuku was muttering fiercely and writing frantically in his beat up old notebook. Peering over his shoulder, he noticed a sketch of himself wearing his armor on one side, with a page of organized notes on the other. Granted, calling them organized would be like calling Emrakul comprehensible. Words were scribbled in every direction, with arrows pointing from note to note, some details scribbled out only for other notes to point at the scribbles and correct them… in other words, it was a mess. Kytheon chuckled, alerting Izuku to just how close he was sitting, resulting in the green haired teen letting out an undignified yelp.

"You know, Izuku, it would be creepy if it wasn't so respectable. You have a right eye for detail and an absolutely cunning intellect when it comes to deciphering quirks."

"Er.. Thank you Iora-san" "Kytheon!" "It's always been a hobby of mine… I don't have just you, but everyone in our class too!" he declared, flipping through the pages to show the burly teen, who whistled in awe. "But… Your quirk has been giving me a real run for my money, it has been nearly impossible to decipher! Not to mention your own skills that perfectly cover for its weaknesses and accentuate its strengths!"

Kytheon shook his head with a laugh. "Perfectly cover? Far from it, there are many many weaknesses I have, and there are undoubtedly hundreds of quirks that could easily overwhelm me in an instant. Always remember this rule, Izuku." He said, briefly noting that everyone in the booth was listening closely. "There is always something bigger, something stronger, something so far beyond your reach that to challenge it is asking for annihilation. Nothing is perfectly indestructible, and everyone has a weakness."

He had thought that he could not lose that day he defeated the titan of Erebos. He thought he could not be hurt when he challenged Nicol Bolas. Even that bastard Krenko had managed to get him in the leg twice. Nothing was truly unbeatable, and he hoped that these other students would keep that in mind.

With that solemn declaration (and Izuku quickly scribbling that in his notebook, the students turned their attention to the arena once more to resume watching the tournament with a newfound focus.

##################################

To say that Kytheon's expectations for matches as exciting as his were quickly shattered would be an understatement. While he understood the likely scenario that brought Tenya into that mess, he was still disappointed in the showing. Hatsume had won the instant she got him into that gear, and Tenya was lucky she just wanted the free advertising.

Yuga and Mina was at least a bit more interesting with some back and forth and some actual physical confrontation. Mina's physical strength had caught him off guard, but he could tell he wasn't the only one with how Izuku was muttering next to him. Yuga needed a lot of work, he determined.

And then there was Momo's match.

If he was honest, he was disappointed but not wholly surprised by the result. Fumikage's quirk was extremely powerful, fast and agile and quite physically strong. Momo's strength, meanwhile, rested on her forethought and planning. And as the saying went, "Everyone's got a plan until they are punched in the face". He supposed that he might be able to help her out with that, training her to be able to think on the fly, to act first and then plan. Get her to such a point where she can be on autopilot and fight off opponents while thinking up a good strategy.

And he would need to extend that offer soon, he noted, with how downtrodden she seemed to be as she left the ring.

Eijiro against Tetsutetsu was at least pretty amusing, if drawn out. He noted that both Ochako and Izuku had left at some point, and he figured Izuku was off to offer some advice for her coming match.

The kid was too much of a klutz for it to be… another reason.

As he watched the hardening and the steel user clash for the umpteenth time, he couldn't help but wince. "These two…"

Mashirao leaned forwards when he heard Kytheon's comment, and he also noticed the seat next to him get taken by Toru. "Something the matter?" The boy with the tail asked, curious as to what his thoughts on the slugfest were.

Kytheon sighed. "Both of them are so single minded in how they fight. They should have realized ages ago that their current strategies weren't working. Winning by KO is not required to beat your opponent, and they are getting nowhere as it stands. Not to mention neither of them have much in the way of combat skill beyond 'throw a punch hard'. And while that strategy can work a surprising amount of the time, you're bound to come across a situation like this." He said, gesturing to the two still wailing on each other.

"I see…" Toru said, leaning forwards to look at the fight again. "Now that you mention it, both of them seem to be fighting using the exact same style."

"Exactly. They are going solely for body shots and head blows. While against most opponents that would be a good strategy, here it isn't. Their only hope for real victory would be to get their opponent out of the ring in some fashion."

"So what would you do?" Mashirao asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, a decent portion of your hieromancy seems to work a lot like their quirks, so blows like that wouldn't work against or for you either."

"Matters of physical strength aside, I would aim for their balance. As you can see, their stances are such that blows to the chest and head would only knock them backwards, but they would remain upright the whole way back. See how their feet are sliding when they get hit?" A nod and what he assumed to be a nod from Toru. "I would aim for the legs. Kicks, low blows, that kind of situation. Also, with how they are throwing their weight behind the punches, dodging would throw them majorly off balance. A simple judo throw could likely get them on their backs, and from there you could launch them out of the ring. But as they are now…" He said, looking back down as a resolute clang emanated from the brawlers. "This will likely end in a draw."

"Wow…" Mashirao mumbled, looking at the battle again. Kytheon smiled.

"If anything, you'd probably beat either of them Mashirao. Sure your quirk may not be flashy, but any extra limb is a variable in a fight. I imagine that neither of them have particularly trained against someone who could easily sweep their legs at the same time they launch a blow at their head. You have the power of people's underestimations on your side." He laughed. "Keep them distracted with your hands and feet and that tail will win you the match."

Mashirao couldn't help but smile. All the time people considered him bland, or normal, since he didn't have any of the flashy quirks. As such, no one ever really gave him advice on how to improve with his quirk. Yet another strange aspect about this broad shouldered teen sitting in front of him.

Kytheon looked on, shaking his head as both contestants were brought off on stretchers, the winner to be determined later. But first…

"Ochako and Katsuki… I can't see her winning this. The power gap is too wide between them. Katsuki is too proud to go easy on someone, but he also isn't an idiot. That combination is something very difficult to combat." He heard a mild gasp from Toru. "At this point it is really down to her performance here. This will be her shot to stand out from the pack and catch the attention of a pro hero…" He stood up. Toru and Mashirao looked over.

"Where are you going, Kytheon?"

"I need to stretch my legs. Besides, Momo hasn't returned to the booth yet, despite not being injured. I also need to focus up, my next opponent is Tenya." He chuckled and shook his head. "That is not going to be an easy matchup for sure." He said as he left the booth.

############################

Kytheon was wandering around, searching for Momo. He had seen the absolute dejection on her face as she left. He had seen it several times before. He recognized the look of feeling like a failure, of not living up to expectations. He had seen it on the faces of soldiers on Zendikar and Ravnica, on the faces of Cathars on Innistrad. He knew what he needed to do. Some would say that his invulnerability, or his hieromantic abilities, or his combat expertise were his greatest strength. But he knew better. He knew what his true power was.

Soon he encountered Momo sitting down off to the side in one of the hallways with a protein bar in hand. He saw her look up as he sat next to her, then back down at her snack.

"You must think I'm weak…" She said, slumping slightly. Kytheon shook his head and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't think you are weak. I think you are inexperienced." He said. "There's a major difference between the two."

"Inexperienced?"

Kytheon nodded. "You're a thinker, and thinking is your strongest point. With time to prepare, you can form defenses and strategies for anything. Remember way back in that joint exercise you and I were partnered up for? Defending the paper mache bomb?" He chuckled. "Had I been on the other side, I doubt I would be able to win. The defense you put up was impenetrable. And that was the major difference." He sobered up after finishing that. "I know you're one of the recommended students, and the other is Shoto. He's a hard act to follow no matter what your quirk is. So you compare yourself to him."

Momo remained silent, looking at the floor even as she felt a strange warmth flowing from Kytheon's hand.

"Don't compare him to you. Your powers are very different, and therefore your techniques are very different." He sat back. "When all of this is done, I will help you reach your full potential. I swear. You have some of the most limitless potential out of any of these students." He smiled. "You just need to realize it." He stood up, offering a hand to her.

"You… you really mean it?"

"I consider you a very good friend Momo." He said with a bright smile. "And I hate to see friends struggle with their burdens. I will help you achieve great things…" He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Besides, there is plenty I can't do that I guarantee I will need your help for. This at least will help even out my debt." He said with a laugh. It was so genuine and honest that Momo couldn't help the smile spread across her face.

"Very well, let's help each other do our best." She said, taking his proffered hand to help herself stand up. "Besides, you still owe me your backstory." She said with a small smirk. Kytheon coughed awkwardly.

"You didn't forget that, huh…" He muttered. He looked at the clock. "Oh jeez, I had better hurry and get to the locker room to prepare for my next match…"

"Kytheon…"

"Yeah?" He asked, turning around to see Momo seeming uncharacteristically shy.

"... Good luck. And thank you."

"No need to thank me. Doing your best from here on out will be enough thanks for it all."

Yes, as Kytheon made his way to the locker room once more, his greatest strength didn't come from any magic, or god, or planeswalker spark. No, his greatest strength was the bonds he made. For he knew the true impact friendship and inspiration could make. The Gatewatch would not have saved Zendikar if they all hated each other. They would not have survived Innistrad without the bonds they made. And he hoped…

No.

He knew that the battle on Ravnica was won. He had the utmost faith in Liliana. He trusted that she would successfully save them all and turn the tides of war.

You don't risk your life for someone you don't trust to do the same.

###########################

Kytheon did a double take in the locker room as he felt a massive explosion shake the foundations of the building, causing him to whirl around as dust fell from the ceiling. He blinked.

"Whatever that was, I feel I've just missed something very important…"

############################

Kytheon grinned as he stepped back out into the arena. Apparently Izuku and Shoto had annihilated the previous stage, so his match was delayed a bit. But now it was time for him to stand forth and deliver another performance. However, unlike the previous round for him, he knew what his opponent's quirk was.

"With such an action packed first fight, who knows how far he can go next! He's the student everyone is talking about, the mysterious golden boy, KYTHEON IORA!"

Kytheon couldn't help but laugh. "I wonder if Present Mic ever needs a drink of water…"

"Versus! The uptight speedster with a sprinting blitz no one can match, he made a fool of himself in the first round but he is back for redemption, it's TENYA IIDA!"

Kytheon looked across at his opponent and smirked, rolling his shoulders as Tenya dropped into a sprinter's stance.

'Tenya showed us that Recipro Burst move during the Cavalry battle. At that speed, I will need to predict where he will come from before he even takes off or it might be too late. However, if I can dodge that, he will be unable to really fight back and the fight will be mine.'

He crouched down into a ready stance, body starting to glow when he heard the call to start. Tenya tensed, and Kytheon noticed the briefest shift of his balance. His eyes widened.

'He's not aiming for me, he's going to go next to me!'

"Recipro… BURST!"

There was a loud bang as Tenya took off, and to everyone in the crowd, what happened next was a blur. But to Kytheon, it all happened in slow motion.

Tenya lunged across the ground at high speed even as Kytheon began to twist, hand balled into a fist. In the blink of an eye, Tenya was behind Kytheon's starting position, only to have to duck when he saw the fist coming at his face.

'He saw through my attack? How did he know I wasn't going to charge straight into him?'

However, the duck worked out in his favor as his shoulder slammed into Kytheon's gut, creating a bright flash of light as he impacted Kytheon's aura. He continued to push, the edge of the arena was so close, when suddenly…

Kytheon's hand came in contact with Tenya's shoulder, and golden chains shot up from the ground, wrapping against his legs. Tenya gasped in shock as he felt the engines in his leg cut out completely, and his knees screamed from the strain of being stopped so quickly. Unable to move any more, Tenya fell and smashed his face in the concrete having been tripped up by the chains. Kytheon skidded a few more feet, stopping just before his heel crossed the threshold. He was panting slightly as he stood there on the edge, having almost been eliminated.

"I'm sorry Tenya, but I knew what you were going to try." He said, running forward. Tenya struggled against the chains that held him down, but couldn't do anything as Kytheon got closer and closer. At a certain point, the chains disappeared, and Tenya tried to activate his power once more. But the engines merely sputtered and coughed, having been spent with the burst he had hoped would win him the match. He stumbled slightly but was on his feet as Kytheon came close, and with a glowing fist, socked him right in the jaw. The glasses wearing teen stumbled back as Kytheon kept up the assault, unrelenting with blow after blow, driving Tenya back. As much as the speedster tried to block, he was a blitz fighter, and that meant drawn out combat like this was not his strong suit, and blow after blow kept breaking through his attempted guard. With a sudden sweep to the legs throwing him off balance, one more golden fist slammed into Tenya's stomach, propelling him across the boundary line. As Midnight stepped forwards to announce him the winner, he glanced at the timer.

"WOW! IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE THE BATTLE WAS DECIDED! WHAT A VERSATILE QUIRK AND UNPARALLELED SKILLS KYTHEON IORA HAS! WHAT EVEN HAPPENED!?"

Aizawa leaned forwards. "The full capabilities of Iora's quirk seem to always remain a mystery even to himself. But as shown here, he appears to have something many of the students can't seem to match: Experience. He turned and started throwing his punch behind him before Iida even attacked, which meant he must have read his intentions from the body language. It's almost as if he is a pro trapped in a student's body… He has potential."

Kytheon shook his head as he moved over to help Tenya onto the stretcher for recovery girl's office.

'If only they knew…' He thought to himself, raising his fist as he turned to the crowd in victory, earning a thunderous applause. 'Shoto Todoroki… I fear this battle will be the toughest of them all… I need to prepare.'

##############################

Kytheon was seated outside the arena, focusing his attention inward. So far his battles have been pretty tough, and there was always an opening where he was able to punch through for the victory. But Shoto, there was something else there. He hadn't been able to see the full fight during his preparations for his match against Tenya, but from what he got from some of the other class 1-A students, it was quite the show, and that final move packed quite the punch. This would be the hardest match up he had faced this far, and it may even spell the end of the road for him. So he was busy, focusing on the land beneath him and attempting to draw what little mana there was into himself so he could be in top shape. His meditation was interrupted, however, by a shadow cast over him. He opened his eyes and looked up, only to raise an eyebrow.

"You're Endeavor, right? Shoto's father."

He pushed himself to his feet and bowed, eliciting a small smirk.

"You're polite, kid. And you have one hell of a quirk. You're going to go far, I know it."

"Thank you sir. But why are you talking to me? I am up against your son, and I would be very disappointed if you try to pay me off."

Endeavor laughed. "Nonsense. I am talking to you because you look like you will be an even larger obstacle to Shoto than the last kid. And I want you to push Shoto as hard as you can. I want him to be the greatest"

Kytheon looked up and right into Endeavor's eyes. "I can understand wanting your child to improve. But there is a difference between encouraging them and trying to live through them. Remember this, and I say it with all due respect sir. If Shoto wins, it is his victory. Not yours. And if he fails, then it is his failure, not yours. A kid is not their father."

Endeavor's gaze harshened and his brow furrowed.

"Do not worry sir, I will push Shoto to greatness. But I won't do it so you can live out your fantasies through him. I will do it so he can improve himself."

And with that, the Akroan teen walked away, his back straightened and his shoulders squared.

He had a battle to win.

#######################################

"IT'S ROUND ONE OF THE SEMIFINALS, AND EXCITEMENT COULDN"T BE HIGHER! OUR FIRST TWO CONTESTANTS NEED NO INTRODUCTIONS! KYTHEON IORA AND SHOTO TODOROKI!"

The crowd was louder than any previous matchup, as everyone was excited to see these two titanic powerhouses clash against each other. In every event so far they were neck and neck at the top of the list, and now one was about to step ahead while the other would fall behind. Needless to say, everyone was tuned in and refusing to blink.

Kytheon stood perfectly still, regulating his breathing. He knew what Todoroki would lead with, but the question was whether or not the flames would come out to play. Each half of Todoroki had its own pro and con to Kytheon. While the ice he had seen numerous times, he had not seen Shoto use his fire. On the other side of the coin, the flames would be next to useless against his aura while the ice could limit his movement if he wasn't careful.

"READY? START!"

Shoto immediately spread his legs, a phalanx of ice emerging from his right foot and shooting towards Kytheon, who got into a ready stance. And with a bellow, his golden aura swirled around him before expanding out from his body into a glowing sphere, swirling like quicksilver. With a collision that rocked the stage, the wall smashed into the shield and shattered upon impact, cracking and splintering into a rain of shards. Kytheon exhaled slowly, but grinned when he saw it worked.

"You will need to be more creative than that to beat me. I won't make you use your left, but you better throw something I haven't seen at me yet!" He bellowed, charging forward with his arms crossed. Shoto's eyes widened as he launched another wall of ice at Kytheon, twice the size of the first one, only for the trained soldier to roll to the side. The wall caught a glancing blow to the golden shield, but was met with a similar result to the first impact. Inwardly, Kytheon chuckled to himself. This larger shield meant that he couldn't attack without dropping it, but it could withstand blows from literal gods. And he needed the defense more than the offense right now.

With Kytheon closing in from his left, Shoto quickly spun to launch another ice barrage towards where he expected Kytheon to dodge to. Caught off guard due to the lack of a tell where the ice was going, he was smashed into mid dive. Without the ground to brace against, he was knocked backwards a decent length, only just recovering and avoiding a nonstop trip to the edge of the arena. Having reclaimed his balance, he grinned at Shoto.

"What's wrong? Don't you have anything else up your sleeves?" He taunted, charging in once again. He saw that Shoto was shaking slightly as frost began to spread over his right side, his assumption leading him to believe that was the limit marker for Shoto and therefore the risk that came without using his left side.

Shoto, meanwhile, was gritting his teeth. He knew that Kytheon would be one of the hardest matchups in this whole thing, but he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Each time his ice hit that glowing bubble, it shattered and broke apart like when he was fighting Izuku. But unlike that fight, he could tell Kytheon wasn't injuring himself to do this. In that case he would need to do what Kytheon said to do, and switch up his tactics.

Kytheon saw Shoto's stance change and the cold air beginning to gather once more, signifying his use of his quirk. Kytheon braced himself, expecting another wall to shoot at him, only to realize something else was coming. The ground itself froze, a sheet of ice spreading across the cement. Calling back the bubble like shield, Kytheon leapt forwards over the encroaching border and slammed his foot down. As his aura clad foot impacted the frozen ground, the concrete shattered, creating a small crater for Kytheon to stand in. Moving quickly, he grabbed some pieces of floating debris and hurled them at Shoto, forcing the half and half teen to dodge for the first time in the match. A huge grin was on Kytheon's face at this point, having more fun than ever in this challenge. The roar of the crowd matched the pounding of blood in his ears from his heartbeat.

Shoto was not smiling as he was forced to dodge glowing fist after glowing fist from the Akroan teen. If this fight were to continue, he would need to utilize his left, if only to keep the encroaching frost at bay.

"You're doing yourself a disservice, Shoto!" Kytheon declared as he had his kick jumped over, the icy teen leaping backwards to get some distance. Kytheon was sweating pretty heavily, and from what he could see, Shoto was having an equally tough time. "Fight for the right to be at the top!" He bellowed as he charged forwards once more. Shoto shifted his stance, preparing to launch yet another ice wall.

But nothing came out.

The teen's mismatched eyes widened as he looked down to see a small golden chain wrapped around his foot. In a panic he looked up at Kytheon closing in with another golden fist, barely dodging out of the way in time. With his foot stuck, he had to pivot , twisting his ankle as he launched a desperate punch at Kytheon's face. His fist impacted Kytheon, causing him to take a step back and release the chain. Acting quickly, Shoto used the brief moment he had to clear the frost from his body with a burst of heat. Kytheon smirked.

Without another word, he launched his hand out and Shoto leapt up on a platform of ice, getting himself out of range of the chains that sprouted from the ground. Kytheon pounced forwards, slamming a glowing fist right into the pillar, shattering it and causing Shoto to start falling towards the ground. The teen's eyes widened in panic as he saw the swirling energy coating Kytheon's fist. Acting quickly, he brought his left arm up, a massive gout of flame erupting towards the Akroan, who quickly shifted to a defensive stance as the sudden temperature change blasted into him. While not as massive as the steam explosion from his match with Izuku, it was still a noticeable blast.

Kytheon skidded back with a big grin on his face, only for it to fall at the conflicted look on Shoto's face. 'It means that much to him, huh? I will need to have a talk with him later, but a battle is no place for something like that.' He stood upright, causing Shoto to look at him. He took a deep breath in, and exhaled once. Another inhale. And out. Sensing that something bad was about to come next, Shoto acted quickly out of blind instinct. Using his left side to regulate his own body temperature, he used his right side to create a wall even bigger than any previously made, rocketing right at the long haired teen. Kytheon's eyes shot open.

"Gotcha."

With a sudden expansion of his shield into the dome form, the wall collided with his aura with a deafening crack. With his stance low and the shield directed in front of him, he withstood the impact as the ice wall fractured like so many before it. Immediately as it began to splinter and fall, he began to punch at the wall, causing the cracks to spread faster, while also starting to tunnel through towards Shoto. And that way, when he finally broke through, Shoto was caught off guard with how close he was. He had expected Kytheon to take the blow like he always had, staying still until the wall fell apart, but now he had to act quickly if he didn't want to get a pounding for his trouble. Moving quickly, he once more brought his left side up, attempting a point blank blast at the soldier. But his eyes widened further at the way the flames parted around Kytheon's glowing form, looking like a vengeful god as he charged with a wicked smile on his face at Shoto, who had knocked himself back with the burst of flame. Pouring more power into his left side, the inferno became brighter and hotter than before, but what only he could see was that it wasn't working. Even as his clothes were immediately reduced to ash, Kytheon kept moving, slamming a fist right into the underside of Shoto's jaw.

As he stumbled back, Kytheon kept up his relentless assault, driving the crowd absolutely wild for various reasons as he delivered intense blow into intense blow, not stopping for a second as he unleashed one last devastating right hook to Shotos's cheek, blowing him back and out of bounds in an unconscious heap.

Kytheon was panting heavily, smoke rising from his glowing body. That of course was when he realized that he was completely naked, the fire having burnt his clothes off. He had pulled his shield as close to his body as possible when the more intense blast occurred, to ensure that his whole body was covered. The wider he expanded his aura, the thinner it got and the greater potential for holes there was. So if he were to sacrifice his clothes and tools, he could ensure no part of his body was exposed to danger. Fortunately, Cementoss acted quickly, sealing Kytheon in a box of cement so that he would not be naked on live TV for any longer, even as the stretcher bots came out for Shoto.

"THE WINNER IS KYTHEON IORA, WHAT A MATCH!"

Kytheon sighed as a hand emerged through the cement, passing him a uniform to put on. He needed to make sure he went and talked to Shoto later. He wanted to win, but he also wanted to teach his father a lesson. He had made sure during that fight to show that the fire was not the thing that made the difference, that the powerful quirk was not everything. That display at the end, where he could have easily dodged, was to send a message that the fire was not the end all be all of power.

Now he had only to hope that the hotheaded father got the message, but he couldn't be certain. For now, he stepped out from the cement box completely reclothed, thrusting his fist in the air to the bellowing of the crowd. He turned his eyes to the stands, looking over his fellow students, giving them a thumbs up and a grin. Then he turned and gave a pointed stare right to the camera before turning and leaving the arena.

##############################

"Man that was absolutely incredible!" Ochako declared, pumping her fist as Kytheon left the arena. Midoriya's eyes were so wide.

"What unbelievable power! He didn't even have a scratch on him at the end of it all, and it didn't seem like he was straining at all. His power seems loosely connected to his stamina, but that could have just been the fight taking its toll… Why did his clothes burn off though? Perhaps that shield of his has something to do with it, gosh we haven't seen him use that before and it seemed really strong but simultaneously directional…"

Izuku was muttering up a storm, and the rest of the students couldn't exactly blame him. Jirou had sweat on her brow, and Mina had been slack jawed throughout the entire fight. Momo had been watching intently, trying to see what Kytheon had been talking about, with strategizing on the fly while your body reacts reflexively. Toru had been really pumped up, sitting on the edge of her seat the whole time while cheering for Kytheon.

"Is there a way he can lose?" Mezo Shoji mumbled, rubbing his chin. "Todoroki seemed unable to do anything to him, can anyone?"

This time it was Tsuyu who nodded and spoke up, catching quite a few people off guard.

"Kytheon certainly has some weaknesses, and it appears to be based on physics. Back in the USJ incident, he took several blows to the head from that Nomu thing, and at the end he was unconscious. He didn't have a scratch on him then either…"

Mashirao chuckled. "Ah, so all we need to do is get close and hit him. That seems easy enough." He remarked dryly. Kaminari snorted.

"Yeah right, and this is him unarmed. That weird metal whip thing he uses is impossible to get a read on."

Izuku scribbled a few more notes into his notebook, as Momo stayed quiet. She (and Toru) were the only ones who knew the truth, that none of this was a quirk, and that people could be taught how to do that level of stuff. One thought crossed both of their minds.

'What could possibly have killed him then?'

##################################################

HWARGH

Wow ok that one was… well it was difficult to write. As I mentioned last time, I am not one who enjoys trying to write out fight scenes. They are not my strong suit.

I have a feeling a question or two might come up, so I'll answer some that I feel may be asked.

In regards to Kytheon's fight with Iida, his prediction of movements has happened before. In fact, that is how his shields work as well as they do. He is able to read his opponent's moves in combat and shift his shields accordingly to block most effectively. I know I mentioned it before in my "can Kytheon be hurt" discussion, but that is the reason he hates fighting eldrazi: Since he can't predict their movements, they can slip past his guard more frequently and damage him. And let's be honest, most students in My Hero Academia are not exactly subtle when it comes to telegraphing their attacks. Reading them would be child's play for Kytheon, even if his reactions are somewhat dulled by being younger and living in a (comparatively) peaceful land.

In regards to Kytheon vs Todoroki, the ice he produces tends to form a block and then another spike forms in front of that. As a result, it would not have the same force when it would impact Kytheon's shield than if the whole mass of ice was pushing into him. As for his shield being able to withstand the impact, I direct you to look at the card Gideon's Intervention. Firstly, the image showing his shield having stopped the spear of Hazoret, the weapon later used to pierce Nicol Bolas. His shield also stopped the spear thrown by erebos, as seen by the animated trailer for Magic Origins. Secondly, the ability of that card to prevent all damage by the named source seems a very good analogy to the walls of ice breaking on the shield. However, as you may notice that bubble doesn't go all the way around him, hence why I had him call his shield back to being his aura during the fire attack, as he used a similar ability when he turned himself and Chandra into a literal rocket on Kaladesh.

That being said, I do sincerely hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter! The next one will be the finals for the tournament, along with some of the aftermath that occurs as a result of it! I was super glad to have the sudden burst of inspiration to get this chapter done, and I feel fairly happy with how it turned out. Don't worry, another Magic guest is on the horizon, one that Kytheon will have difficulties dealing with! For now, thank you for reading, and I will see you all in the next chapter! So long!