Originally, according to Ketsubutsu's plan, after the teammates launched their attacks, their ace Shindo was to use his Quirk to deliver the final blow, so he spoke with some displeasure.
"So it seems, they are no longer the same group we saw at the sports festival..."
"Unexpectedly, even Class B, which lost to Class A, has such a formidable opponent."
In fact, at the U.A. Sports Festival, aside from the top sixteen matches, most of Class B's Quirks were not exposed, and the schools that formed a temporary alliance did not anticipate how strong the combined team of U.A.'s two classes would be.
Besides their inherent weaknesses, the targets attached to their bodies could also be considered additional vulnerabilities. During the competitive battles, everyone would protect their targets, and even if one were to throw balls haphazardly, the chances of hitting were very low.
Therefore, everyone would generally choose to defeat the opponent and use the balls accurately when the opponent was unable to resist, as the number of orange spheres each person had was limited.
Shindo's Quirk is "Vibration," which allows him to shake objects he touches, but depending on the amplitude and speed of the vibration, he must also endure corresponding aftershocks that can render him immobile.
Shindo, squatting down, placed both hands on the ground and commanded loudly.
"Keep your distance, their defense is solid."
"But, such a level of defense can't withstand my power! Maximum output—Earthquake!"
From the ground where his hands were placed, a white shockwave pattern suddenly appeared, moving horizontally in a 180-degree range.
Accompanied by Todoroki's thunderous roar and the abnormal trembling of the ground, the earth on U.A.'s side began to show signs of gradual collapse.
Juzo Honenuki's Quirk "Softening" can make touched objects soft (ineffective on living beings), but his softening has a limit; if targeting the ground, it could reach about ten meters deep.
In terms of Quirk strength, Shindo undoubtedly has a slight edge over him, as Shindo's "Vibration" Quirk can currently shake up to about fifteen meters deep, and just a five-meter difference determines the actual performance disparity.
Team Iida shouted anxiously.
"Not good! Everyone, run!"
However, U.A.'s team was not without any means.
On the other hand, Class B's Monoma Neito appeared quite calm as he spoke to Shiozaki Ibara.
"Ibara, it's up to you."
Shiozaki Ibara nodded at him and walked straight to the front of the team.
Some abilities (Quirks) naturally have high synergy with certain others.
For example, Kobaba's "Softening" combined with Shiozaki Ibara's "Vine" Quirk is such a combination.
She manipulated her thorn-like hair with ease through the muddy swamp created by Kobaba, and these plant hairs, as hard as iron wire yet incredibly flexible, served to stabilize the ground.
Unexpectedly, Ketsubutsu's confident offensive was smoothly defended against by such a united defense.
In truth, Iida's impatience was just a matter of temporary coordination, and the "team" formed by two classes was not as familiar with each other's Quirks as Class B students were over a long period.
And Shindo gritted his teeth in unwilling frustration and roared.
"These U.A. guys!"
Ketsubutsu Academy's plan was built on Shindo's Quirk being able to divide the battlefield, disperse U.A.'s team, and use the numerical advantage of the grand alliance of schools to defeat them one by one.
It was at this moment that Accelerator sensed it—a high-speed, long-range attack was imminent.
"A Quirk for ultra-long-distance sniping? That's quite interesting."
But he had no intention of taking action.
The very purpose of the Grand Star Festival competition was to showcase and hone one's strength. If he had to intervene right from the start, it would defeat the purpose.
Accelerator had made his plans clear after understanding the rules.
He would not protect any U.A. observers in this chaotic melee.
The sniper's target was Shiozaki Ibara.
Bakugo and Iida, with their astonishingly quick reflexes, lunged to help their Class B companion intercept the attack.
But they were unsuccessful.
After being hit by the sniper, Shiozaki Ibara lost her combat ability and fell into unconsciousness.
Accelerator deduced that the real purpose of this sniper was to prioritize hitting a key member of the U.A. team.
The role that Shiozaki Ibara played in stabilizing the ground with her vines was undoubtedly more critical than that of others.
The sniper's target was not an individual but the entire U.A. team.
It was foreseeable that without the conscious Shiozaki Ibara, it would be difficult to construct an effective defense against the attacks from Jiei Tech's Shindo.
Moreover, since Shiozaki Ibara had not lost points but was unconscious from the heavy blow, the U.A. team couldn't leave her behind and had to allocate extra combat power to move her.
The deterrent power of the sniper had already made its mark.
The U.A. team showed signs of panic.
At that moment, Yaoyorozu stepped forward to command.
"Shoji-kun! Spread your duplicate arms fully! It's up to you, Jiro, and Tsuyu to locate that sniper!"
"All other students with mid-range search abilities, use your powers!"
"Aoyama-kun! Once they find the target location, use your laser immediately!"
Monoma Neito, also a strategist, urgently spoke almost simultaneously.
"Setsuna-kun! Tetsutetsu-kun, start by maintaining air solidification on our team's left side!"
"Everyone on the left, fall back behind Tetsutetsu-kun."
Monoma Neito's judgment was accurate. Class B sent out Setsuna, whose search capabilities were on par with Shoji's, to take charge of the search.
Setsuna's Quirk was "Lizard Tail Splitter."
It allowed her to split her body into small pieces that could move independently. Her limit was over fifty parts that could float in the air, searching for targets within a three-hundred-meter diameter while maintaining visibility.
Tsuburaba Kōsei's Quirk was "Solid Air." With his vigorous use of his Quirk, he could reduce the angle of attack the "team" faced from 360 degrees to about 180 degrees, essentially blocking the possibility of long-range attacks from the enemy on the left side.
After the obstruction of air solidification, even if the enemy continued to snipe from that 180-degree angle, the orange spherical attacks would surely be intercepted by Iida, Bakugo, and others.
If the enemy did not snipe from this angle, then the U.A. team's students with search abilities could mainly shift their search range to the other 180 degrees not covered by "Solid Air."
The U.A. team adopted a dual-command mode. Due to the urgency, Class A was commanded by Yaoyorozu, while Class B was led by Monoma Neito. This team mode had another advantage: even if one commander was lost, the team's "brain" could still function.
Both of them are the sage-type characters, well-versed in the abilities and weaknesses of each classmate, as well as their tactical combinations, allowing them to better command their classmates to react promptly to situations. (Except for a certain party)
This is arguably the best choice for U.A.'s first-year students, who have limited preparation time but must form a team.
However, it seems that the sniper is not a member of the inter-school alliance.
Or perhaps, after unleashing a round of intense Quirk use, Shindo from Ketsubutsu Academy needs a brief rest, hence he couldn't immediately activate "Shake" again to create an earthquake-like effect beneath the ground.
Yaoyorozu Momo, with her delicate mind, clearly noticed the details when Shindo activated his Quirk and she calmly continued to give orders.
"If I'm not mistaken! That student from Ketsubutsu Academy named Shindo can't leave his spot when using his Quirk!"
"The best defense is offense!"
"Those in the team who can launch long-range attacks! Target, Ketsubutsu Academy's Shindo!"
"Ready—Fire!"
With the sound of Yaoyorozu Momo's gunshots, Todoroki's cry, Ashido's acid rain attack, Asui's tongue, Tokoyami's extending shadow, and Class B's horn cannon, manga characters, and other U.A. team's firepower converged once again.
And her decision was undoubtedly effective.
Under the focused care of such a long-range attack network, the enemy Shindo had no chance to stay put.
He was seen awkwardly dodging attacks under the cover of his teammates.
Yaoyorozu, having created a telescope, continuously observed the surrounding battle situation. The cunning sniper did not choose to snipe rashly again.
Clearly, after the first unguarded sniping success, the sniper was very experienced in aiming for tactical deterrence.
It's like in a game where you know that not targeting a certain character is troublesome, but there's no effective defense, so you can only consume energy or stamina to maintain a state of alert.
Unlike that sniper, the U.A. team also faced an encirclement by the inter-school alliance, outnumbering them several times. It's like a lion surrounded by wolves, with a troublesome snake lurking in the corner.
At this moment, Monoma suddenly commanded.
"Toward the target! Bondo! Use your Quirk!"
Bondo Kojiro, whose Quirk is "Universal Glue," responded.
"Understood!"
He swung his head and hands dramatically towards Shindo's direction, like performing a certain ethnic dance.
"Glue Storm!"
The Universal Glue, which could adjust its drying speed and had an astonishing output, covered the area where Shindo was located. Shindo, who had been barely surviving under U.A.'s long-range firepower, became instantly precarious in such a field.
And Yaoyorozu, who had been actively thinking, also issued an order.
"Sero, use your tape!"
Upon hearing her command, Sero Hanta didn't hesitate and swiftly ejected a large amount of transparent tape from his elbows. With the enhancement of his elbow organs and combat gear, the speed of the tape was greatly increased.
The ground and nearby rocks where Shindo was located were all covered with adhesive tape and shattered stones, stuck fast by the universal glue. Once touched, they couldn't be torn off again.
Even Ketsubutsu Academy's ace, Shindo, didn't have the ability to escape from the firepower net and the tape's adhesive blockade set by the U.A. team.
Accelerator knew that this ragtag group seemed to be overpowering the U.A. team, which was physically down by one member, but the reality was not so simple.
Simply put, even if the grand alliance of various schools targeted the exposed U.A. team as their primary objective right away, their fundamentally loose alliance structure hadn't changed.
If these schools had sent their Mutant and Enhancement types to the front lines to protect Shindo while U.A. poured all their long-range firepower on Ketsubutsu Academy, the U.A. team would have been in danger.
But then again, according to the competition, Ketsubutsu Academy was also their enemy, and it would be beneficial to reduce other competitors while attacking U.A.
Soon, the siege of the various schools' alliance against U.A., lacking an ace like Shindo who could truly break through U.A.'s defense system, was crushed. And no one in the U.A. team forgot their duties because of this, except for Accelerator, who had always been skirting the edges.
Just then, everyone from U.A. felt a strong gust of wind, and Aoyama's glasses were nearly blown off.
He asked, puzzled, "Wind?"
Suddenly, the speed of the wind increased, its force growing more and more fierce, and many of the remaining students from the various schools' alliance had their balls blown fiercely out of their hands.
"Wait... the balls...!"
Someone exclaimed in shock.
"Only the balls are being sucked away! What on earth is happening?"
Someone was standing on a rooftop not far away, controlling a rapidly spinning storm that attracted the orange balls from people's hands like a tornado.
That person, wielding this astonishing storm, was Yoarashi Inasa, who had had a slight conflict with the U.A. team at the school bus entrance.
He held up one hand and laughed continuously.
"I believe a hero is all about passion!"
"Your battles are just too passionate!"
"I just love passion!"
The U.A. team's classmates also noticed him and exclaimed in surprise.
"Isn't he that weird guy from before!"
"Is Shijie High School only sending one person against our team?"
And Tetsutetsu from the passionate group roared.
"He's absolutely right! Although it's a bit mystical! But I understand!"
"A man's got to be passionate!"
Clearly, the students from the various schools' alliance didn't have the composure of the U.A. team.
Someone quickly spotted the problem and raised an alarm.
"Wait, if all our orbs are taken away! Everything we can do will be..."
But Yoarashi didn't wait for them to continue. He stood alone on the rooftop, looking up at the massive storm he had created, sweeping up countless orange orbs, and roared.
"Let me join this passionate battle too!"
With that, he swung the hand he was holding up as he looked down and shouted.
"Please take care of me!"
The massive storm surged forth!
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