My Hero Academia: Thunder God

But this was a good thing, Kaminari thought with a smile in his heart. He then began to attempt using his mental energy to control the electromagnetic force surrounding his body and direct it downward.

Sure enough, under the influence of the electromagnetic force, the iron particles in the soil began to tremble. As Kaminari's excitement grew, the frequency of the tremors increased.

"Rise!" Kaminari shouted in his mind.

The next moment, with the bamboo pole he stood on as the center, a radius of five meters erupted with iron sand from the soil. The particles surged upward and gathered into ten black clouds, floating in a circular formation around him.

"It... worked?!"

Kaminari scanned his surroundings with his radar. When he saw the black iron clouds encircling him, he felt a surge of joy and even an urge to cry.

"Finally... finally, my ability has come into its own! These iron sands represent a level of fine control that rivals Misaka Mikoto herself!"

He was so excited that he overlooked one small detail: Misaka Mikoto could directly manipulate electronic devices. In comparison, Kaminari was only managing electromagnetic force, and the precision between the two was vastly different.

As for raw power, the gap was even greater. Misaka Mikoto could summon thunderclouds to call down real lightning, capable of delivering over a billion volts.

But that was something Kaminari could reflect on later, once he'd calmed down.

"What's going on over there?"

At that moment, Edgeshot, who had just finished breakfast and was tidying up the dishes, stepped outside and saw Kaminari's display. He automatically became an observer, watching from a distance.

"This kid's always coming up with something new," Edgeshot muttered to himself. Though he had only been staying with Kaminari for less than a week, he admired the boy's creativity and drive.

"Ah, youth. Full of surprises."

Just as Edgeshot was reflecting on this, the hairs on his body suddenly stood on end. His instincts kicked in, setting off alarms in his mind.

"Swish!"

In the blink of an eye, dozens of slender black needles shot out from the iron clouds and pierced the ground where Edgeshot had just been standing. His figure blurred into an afterimage as he dodged to a safer position.

"Not bad, kid."

But the assault wasn't over. Wave after wave of needle-like iron shards launched from the black clouds, targeting Edgeshot relentlessly. Each time the needles hit the ground, they returned to the black clouds, merging back into the swirling formation.

"This brat…"

Edgeshot's expression shifted as he entered a combat-ready stance. From this point onward, he was no longer just Edgeshot—he was the Ninja Hero: Edgeshot, Japan's No. 5 Pro Hero.

"So, you want to challenge me, huh?"

Edgeshot's lips curled into a faint smile. "Alright, let's see what you've got, Kaminari."

Without hesitation, Edgeshot transformed into a long, thin blur and fearlessly dashed toward Kaminari, who remained atop the bamboo pole.

"Swish!"

The black needles fired again, but this time Edgeshot weaved through them effortlessly. His agility allowed him to dodge every needle in the barrage as he continued to close the distance.

"Incredible!" Kaminari thought, his radar tracking every move. "He dodged all the black needles in an instant. Is this the technique Master talked about before?"

Edgeshot's movements were so refined that he no longer needed his usual acceleration techniques to enhance his speed.

Still, Kaminari clenched his fists. "But I won't go down that easily!"

In the next moment, the black clouds stopped firing needles and instead released dense streams of iron sand, flooding the area with sheer volume.

"Let's see how you get out of this one, Master!" Kaminari thought to himself.

However, Edgeshot wasn't fazed. As the iron sand swarmed toward him, his body twisted in mid-air with incredible precision, abruptly changing his trajectory. With an elegant motion, he soared upward, avoiding the attack entirely.

Then, drawing a graceful arc through the sky, Edgeshot dived straight for Kaminari once more.

"It's useless," Kaminari muttered under his breath. "My radar can pinpoint your exact location, even through all this iron sand."

"Bang!"

The first sonic boom from Edgeshot's paper-thin arm attack was blocked by the black cloud shielding Kaminari.

"Swish!"

"Bang!"

For the next several minutes, the fight became a back-and-forth of offense and defense. Kaminari used his black clouds to shield himself from countless high-speed attacks while trying to launch counterattacks with the iron sand.

Edgeshot's unparalleled speed created the illusion of multiple afterimages surrounding Kaminari. These phantom clones launched attacks from every angle, vanishing only to be replaced by new ones seconds later.

If someone else had been watching this spectacle—like Kosuke Abe earlier—they would've witnessed a dazzling scene: dozens of Edgeshot-like figures besieging Kaminari, who stood in the middle of it all, protected by swirling black clouds.

"This method of controlling iron sand doesn't take much physical energy," Kaminari thought, sweat forming on his brow, "and the electricity consumption is minimal. But it's mentally exhausting. Constant concentration is required, especially against Master's relentless, high-speed attacks."

Indeed, his forehead was visibly drenched, and the fight had only lasted ten minutes.

"No wonder Misaka Mikoto can control iron sand whenever she wants but rarely uses it as often as someone like Gaara. The mental strain must be the issue," Kaminari realized.

"After all, Gaara's sand has a will of its own, but my iron sand requires constant manipulation."

Edgeshot, meanwhile, had also picked up on a change in the black clouds.

"Their reaction speed is slowing," he noted, narrowing his eyes. "This technique must have its limitations. Is it a matter of time, or something else?"

Pondering this, Edgeshot suddenly accelerated, breaking past the speed of sound.

"It's over."

A loud sonic boom followed, but Kaminari heard Edgeshot's words before the sound reached him.

"Crash!"

The next moment, the iron sand protecting Kaminari collapsed. All the particles fell to the ground like raindrops, leaving the previously green patch of land coated in black.

***

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