[h2]Zone 2[/h2]
[@Scribe of Thoth][@Stern Algorithm]
Though the difference in temperature inside and outside the bus had caused the glass windows of the vehicle to fog up, Mari’s eyes could still make out the form of the large man standing there, his bulk unmistakable even when seated.
Wait, seated?

Suddenly, the bus’s engine rumbled, lights flaring up in the slowly fading fog. With a waving motion, the Mastermind pushed the accelerator and launched the bus off onto the road again. It was only gradually picking up speed, either due to the care one had to take when driving on potentially damaged roads or simply to give these student heroes an opportunity to try catching up, but if they hesitated too long, it’d definitely be impossible to.

And that direction…that man were heading in the same direction those three villain-hunters had gone. To assist in whatever monster had roared so brazenly just moments ago? Likely. Very likely. And who knew how dangerous it would be to have two villains working together?
[h2]Zone 3[/h2]
[@Lugubrious][@AdmrlStalfos19]
For all the chaos evident in the other areas of the disaster zones, the residential area was as hauntingly quiet as ever. Somewhere along the way, the two of them lost track of where that horned student had gone, turning their group into just a pair now. But no matter the number of heroes, their tasks remained, and Goro and Umi found themselves navigating the complex alleyways once more. The going was easier due to familiarity, and with Goro’s facelamp, more dummies were in sight easily enough.

Up above, a dummy cried helplessly as they laid suspended on top of a network of crisscrossing power lines. Further down the road, an open manhole revealed a child-sized dummy within, but the lack of any ladder leading inside made it difficult to determine whether it would be possible to leave. Water could be heard within the sewer system as well, but whether it was rainwater or sewage water was difficult to determine, even if Goro craned his head down within. There were also houses with barred windows and locked doors, crying children within, easy enough to hear but more difficult to find when they were so muffled by the plentiful walls in the area.

It was the same old game of prioritizing again, and this time around, they weren’t in the luxury of ‘saving everyone’.

But on the topic of heroism, were these meager pickings worth it to begin with, when there was potentially a larger group of dummies to go after, somewhere in this entrance exam?
[h2]Zone 5[/h2]
[@zelosse][@Sho Minazuki]
Practically weightless, the glowing knife flew through the thinning fog and struck the oddly dressed woman in the back, before the impact undid whatever strange force kept it together and the object burst in a bright flash of light. She stumbled forward at that, more surprised by the ambush than anything else, before her eyes flared with soul-crushing intent again.

Pragmatically speaking, Hikari would have been better off throwing a rock for all the help his fragile, weightless knife offered him.

But though she whirred around, the low visibility, combined with his own position behind the rocks, spared the blond student from immediate detection, and instead, the Ruler curled her lips in a distinctly exaggerated manner. Turning back towards Kaito with scorn, she spoke, clutching one of her eyes melodramatically, [b]“Ohohoho, so that’s how heroes are made these days! Naught more than cowards striking from shadows, thieves stealing cheap shots in the night! Do you and your godless friends believe that you can save anyone with such little resolve? Where is the courage to stand? Where is the resolve to fight? Where ARE you, Ninjas of Fractured Light?!”[/b] Kaito’s heart threatened to burst out of his ribcage, the woman’s silly words inspiring monstrous terror within him.

[b]“Come, and meet your obliteration!”[/b]