**Boom!**
Two massive sand hands surged upward, intercepting the spear formed from the rapidly falling transparent liquid.
With a swift motion, Akira waved his hand, sending a portion of the sand splashing forward like a tide.
"Stay out of this, Bakugo. I've got it handled," Akira said, his calm voice cutting through the tense air. With another wave, a gust of sand swept Bakugo to a safer distance, leaving him stunned and frustrated.
Scrambling to his feet, Bakugo stared at the scene before him. His fists clenched as he watched the massive hands of sand towering above Akira.
"Damn it... Damn it!" Bakugo growled under his breath. He'd poured everything into his attack, yet the difference between their strength was undeniable.
*I couldn't even scratch that thing... but Akira neutralized it so easily.*
For the first time, a flicker of doubt crept into Bakugo's mind. His proclamations of surpassing everyone and becoming number one felt distant in the face of Akira's overwhelming control.
"I have to get stronger," Bakugo muttered to himself, his jaw tightening. *No way I'll let Akira or anyone else leave me behind.*
Ishimura's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "It seems like you've been keeping busy this past year," Ishimura sneered, narrowing his eyes at Akira. "But no matter how much you've trained, you'll never be a match for me."
Akira smirked, his demeanor unbothered. "Busy enough. And you? Training all this time just to kill me? That's a lot of effort for someone who's going to lose."
"You're not my only target!" Ishimura snarled, his voice dripping with venom. "No one from Miyagawa's office will escape me!"
Akira let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. "Your obsession with revenge is almost impressive. But do you honestly think that makes you unstoppable?"
"I don't need to be unstoppable," Ishimura snapped. "I only need to be strong enough to crush you."
With a swift motion, Ishimura conjured a cluster of transparent liquid, shaping it into dozens of sharp arrows that floated menacingly in the air.
"Let's see if your Quirk can handle this!" Ishimura shouted, sending the arrows flying toward Akira in rapid succession.
But just as the projectiles neared, a sand shield emerged around Akira, absorbing every arrow effortlessly.
**Bang! Bang! Bang!**
The arrows embedded themselves into the sand, failing to leave even a scratch on their target.
"Hiding behind that sand of yours?" Ishimura mocked.
Without a word, Akira shifted his stance, and the sand around him surged like a tidal wave.
"Behind you," Akira said calmly, his voice coming from Ishimura's blind spot.
Before Ishimura could react, Akira's fist—hardened with Armament Haki—slammed into his jaw, sending him flying.
**Boom!**
Ishimura skidded across the ground, managing to stop himself with a series of backflips.
Touching his swollen cheek, Ishimura spit out a mix of saliva and blood. "How? How can you hit me?" he muttered, his expression a mix of shock and anger.
"You're slippery, I'll give you that," Akira said, flexing his hand. "But my Haki lets me deal with people like you. You're not as untouchable as you think."
For the first time, a flicker of doubt crossed Ishimura's face. His liquid-based Quirk had always allowed him to evade attacks effortlessly. Yet Akira had hit him not once, but twice.
Ishimura clenched his fists. "You think you've figured me out? Let's see how you handle this!"
He slammed his hands into the ground, and a massive pool of liquid erupted, morphing into an enormous spear above him.
"Disappear!" Ishimura roared, hurling the massive spear toward Akira with deadly precision.
But Akira, now airborne with wings of sand, hovered above the battlefield.
"Let's test your limits," Akira said, his voice calm but determined.
Flapping his wings, he soared higher, his sand manipulating the air around him.
"Get ready, Ishimura!" Akira shouted, raising his arms. The sky darkened as grains of sand gathered above him, forming an enormous vortex.
"**Sand Rain!**" Akira roared, unleashing a deluge of sand shards that descended toward Ishimura like a storm of daggers.