Once All For One fully crossed through Kurogiri's distortion, the atmosphere became heavy.
The air was flooded with a sense of pure evil, with a chilling feeling of death and danger that crawled across the skin. Even the colors around him seemed to dull into muted tones, perhaps due to an optical illusion or the effect of one of his Quirks.
Even without his spider-sense active, Allen could feel just how dangerous this man was.
"All For One... One For All... It's almost ridiculous how easy it is to tell this guy is the final boss," Allen thought, briefly glancing toward where Deku was standing—the current wielder of One For All.
The boy was pale and trembling. He still lacked a great deal of training and experience before he could face someone like All For One.
"I guess it's up to me," Allen thought, then narrowed his eyes in All For One's direction.
From the few words All For One had spoken since arriving, Allen understood two things. First, this man knew his full name, which meant he likely knew about his Quirk. Second, he had absolute confidence in barging into U.A. High School, knowing All Might should be here.
In less than a tenth of a second, Allen made a decision.
"There's no time to hesitate!"
He raised his gaze to the sky and fired his heat vision at maximum output, piercing straight through the ceiling and shooting upward like an incandescent pillar. Something like that was bound to be detected by someone, even if communications had been cut.
"That bastard!" Shigaraki snarled.
"Incredible..." Kurogiri murmured in admiration.
Once the distress signal was fired, Allen focused all of his attention on All For One.
Far from being annoyed, the villain began to clap.
"That was wonderful, Allen-kun."
....
Aizawa and Thirteen were still able to move, but the students lacked the mental fortitude of professional heroes. They were so terrified that some had dropped to their knees, while others trembled, unable to even look at that monster wearing a human form.
'I can't breathe...' Momo thought as her heart filled with worry.
'Move! I have to help Allen!' Itsuka bit her lips until they bled.
Toru gasped, unable to move. 'This is bad—Allen is in danger!'
Deku couldn't even lift his head. 'I have to do something! I'm All Might's successor. If I don't do something, we're all going to die!'
'Someone, help us!' Ibara cried out in her mind.
'If we don't move, Allen-san...' Unable to stay standing, Ochako fell to her knees.
Even the bravest, like Todoroki and Bakugo, were unable to move a single muscle. All they could do was stare at evil incarnate.
'Damn it!'
Bakugo was filled with rage toward himself. He had never imagined there would come a moment when fear would stop him from moving.
"What is that?!"
In his entire life, the prodigy Todoroki had never felt so vulnerable. Not even his father had such a suffocating presence.
"Group up and don't move without my permission!" exclaimed Aizawa.
He put on his goggles, ready to risk his life if necessary.
"Aizawa-san, take the students. I'll hold them back!"
Thirteen's gaze was grave behind her helmet, but her eyes shone with resolve. She had made her decision—if the situation demanded it, she was prepared to sacrifice herself for the students.
"...!"
Aizawa understood as well. There was no way to win. This wasn't a villain they could stop on their own, and sending students against him would be a death sentence.
This was a monster that perhaps only All Might could stop.
Aizawa forced himself to calm his racing heart.
"Wait. Allen already sent a distress signal. All Might-san will definitely come. Besides, that man isn't the type to act immediately. We'll buy as much time as possible by letting him give his speech..."
Hearing those words, everyone felt a ray of hope. This was U.A. The greatest hero of all was nearby, and thanks to the distress signal, he should be on his way.
Aizawa was betting on it. The moment All For One tried something against Allen, he would erase his Quirk. Of course, he was aware there were other villains, but he had to prioritize that monster—because he could feel that All For One had come for Allen.
Kurogiri noticed Aizawa's movements and scoffed internally. "This man doesn't know that the moment that person appeared here, the fight was already over."
....
All For One smiled beneath his mask. From the very beginning, he hadn't taken his eyes off Allen, as if no one else existed.
"You are capable of adapting instantly to unexpected situations, able to assess your enemy and react to danger by making the best decision. That goes beyond talent... marvelous, Allen-kun..."
"I get it, you're the villain, so if you only came here to praise me... go ahead, I'll let you. After all, I am such a magnanimous person," Allen mocked, watching the darkness slowly spreading from the man.
Everyone was left in shock. Even Aizawa cursed inwardly. They were supposed to buy time, but Allen was provoking the enemy.
"Is he insane?!" Kurogiri exclaimed.
"...?!" Shigaraki was also in shock. In his entire life, he had never seen anyone with the audacity to speak to his sensei like that.
Despite that, All For One didn't get angry. He simply let the words pass and extended his hands.
"When I heard about your Quirk, I couldn't contain my excitement. That's why I decided to come immediately. Allen Walker-kun!"
All For One's words made Aizawa go pale. It had only been a week since Allen's arrival when his existence became known.
"This is bad. You're the target—get away from him!"
Allen didn't need Aizawa's warning. From the beginning, he knew perfectly well that this man had come for him—specifically to steal his Quirk.
"I'm sorry, Aizawa-sensei, but I don't think this guy would just let me go."
Even Allen himself was confused. Although he had become less cautious with his Quirk usage lately, there still shouldn't have been much information about him outside of U.A. and the Hero Commission.
"Sublime. Even knowing my objective, you do not surrender. You are not incapable, you do not beg... Allen-kun, I believe I owe you an apology."
"When I heard about your Quirk—capable of recreating any Quirk, with time and imagination as its only limits—I felt a thrill of excitement I hadn't experienced in decades. I have accumulated hundreds of Quirks, but none like yours. My first impulse was to desire it. However, I was mistaken. Your worth goes beyond your Quirk alone... You are someone who would undoubtedly become a terrifying opponent in the future."
Allen scoffed. "I let you talk out of courtesy, but I'm tired of listening to your arrogant speech."
Teachers and students alike went pale at the way Allen spoke to All For One, but the villain simply laughed and replied politely.
"My apologies if I'm boring you, Allen... I merely wished to express my admiration." All For One smiled one last time.
"Come on, you old fossil!" Allen grinned as he increased the Superman template to 60%.
Without hesitation, he launched himself at All For One with his fist clenched.
"You will be an invaluable addition to my collection!" All For One raised his hand. "Air Cannon!"
Nothing happened.
Allen reached All For One. The villain wasn't surprised that his Quirk failed to activate and immediately changed strategies, blocking the punch with his arm. He succeeded—but it cost him.
"Sensei?!" Shigaraki cried out, startled when he saw that All For One couldn't activate his Quirk.
"Eraser Head!" Kurogiri exclaimed.
"You bastard, what are you doing to my student?!"
Aizawa's eyes glowed red as he smiled, sweat dripping down his face. He didn't understand—he had erased All For One's Quirk. How had he withstood Allen's blow?
"As expected of Eraser Head," All For One praised. "It's fortunate that I took measures against your Quirk."
"...!"
Aizawa knew his Quirk wasn't omnipotent. He couldn't erase permanent mutations, nor could he undo the effects of Quirks he couldn't see—such as Toru Hagakure's invisibility.
"Don't get distracted."
Allen followed up with a kick. All For One blocked it again, but the force behind the attack sent him sliding back and even made him feel pain.
"The fact that you can withstand my blows without a Quirk is cheating," Allen frowned.
Even if Allen wasn't using the template at 100%, even if he was a Superman who had only awakened his powers a little over a month ago and therefore wasn't even at the level of an average Superman—he was still Superman. What kind of measures could possibly withstand that?
"Likewise, the fact that you can injure this body even while I have no Quirks to defend myself... is something I did not anticipate."
All For One's body had undergone certain modifications, unlike in the original canon—something that could be credited to the butterfly effect caused by Lucifer's interference.
Allen and Aizawa exchanged a glance, and that was enough. Allen attacked All For One again.
He had to take advantage of the fact that he had no powers.
Despite that, All For One managed to block Allen's punches and even counterattacked, each punch in turn being stopped by Allen.
Their blows were strong enough to create shockwaves of air around them.
"What a monster!" Aizawa exclaimed as he watched how, even without a Quirk, he was able to contend with the strongest student.
....
"What are you doing?! Kill him, Nomu!"
Shigaraki, filled with murderous intent and unable to watch his sensei being injured, sent his monster after Aizawa.
This jet-black humanoid monster was large and muscular, with a big, disturbing smile. Its most striking feature was its head, which grotesquely exposed its brain.
The Nomu roared and charged toward Aizawa. Its speed was incredible, and at the same time, it was terrifying to watch it advance, shattering the ground beneath its feet.
Aizawa couldn't afford to be distracted by anyone else. The moment he stopped erasing All For One's Quirks, Allen would be in mortal danger. Fortunately, he wasn't alone!
"I won't let you!"
Thirteen stepped in front of Aizawa to protect him, but at the same time, a spiral of darkness appeared behind her.
"I won't let you..."
The spiral took the shape of a humanoid made of darkness.
"Damn it!" Thirteen was in trouble.
"Die!" Bakugo and Kirishima were the first to respond. They attacked without thinking, blasting Kurogiri's body apart in an explosion.
Freed from the pressure, Thirteen used a black hole to try to contain the Nomu. Feeling the fierce gravitational pull dragging it in, the creature stopped and drove its fists into the ground to avoid being absorbed.
Meanwhile, Kurogiri's body began to reconstruct itself.
"Not so fast!"
The ground froze, trapping Kurogiri in ice. It had been Todoroki.
"I'll fight too!" Tetsutetsu stepped forward as his body became covered in metal.
"Let's go, Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami also stepped forward.
"I can't be a burden!" Itsuka shouted, ready to fight.
Slowly, all the students regained their courage, including Deku, who slapped himself to steady his fear.
'I don't have the luxury of doing nothing!'
"As expected of U.A. Even as teenagers, they're strong. Fortunately, I don't have to face all of them." Kurogiri's voice came from elsewhere.
Without giving them time to locate him, a large spatial distortion appeared, forming a portal.. From it, many villains emerged. However, all of them had white eyes and acted like wild animals.
"Trigger?!" Thirteen, who had restrained Nomu with his Quirk, stared at the new villains and compared them to the ones she remembered.
They were all second- and third-rate villains. Some were on the Hero Commission's wanted lists, but something was different— their Quirks looked unlike anything she remembered. One villain who once had gorilla-like arms was now a three-meter-tall Bigfoot-like creature.
"As expected, you know about Trigger. That's right. Although mass production of the drug didn't turn out as we expected and they ended up like this, they should still be useful enough."
"Monsters!" Thirteen clenched her teeth. Even among villains, there was no mercy.
"We have to fight!" Momo exclaimed as she created a metal staff from her skin.
'Don't underestimate them...' Kurogiri thought coldly from the air. 'It doesn't matter, it's time to end this.'
The students began fighting the Trigger-injected villains. But Kurogiri didn't want to prolong this battle, so he appeared behind Thirteen.
That would create a domino effect. Killing her would free the Nomu, which would kill Eraser Head, which in turn would free All For One—game over.
"Watch out!" Shigaraki shouted.
Kurogiri's eyes widened as his body was pierced at the last moment by a shot.
"W-what?!"
Looking up at the ceiling, right where Allen had fired his heat vision earlier, stood Lady Nagant.
"What are you doing?!"
Lady Nagant was a calm and controlled woman who usually kept her composure even in the face of death, but at that moment her face was twisted with rage.
That rage wasn't directed at Kurogiri, but at All For One, who was exchanging blows with Allen in a deadlock.
"As expected, even after I got rid of All Might, you're still here, aren't you, Lady Nagant?"
"Huh?"
The students, the teachers, and even Allen froze when they heard All For One's words. For a moment, none of them could even process what he had said.
As if he found it amusing, All For One let out a light chuckle.
"What's wrong?"
"Are you really that surprised?"
"I'm a cautious man, so before coming to U.A. for Allen, I took care of the main obstacle... so I'm sorry, but All Might won't be coming."
Everyone felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured down their backs. They couldn't believe what they were hearing.
Allen frowned as he recalled All Might's injury and his constant weakening. 'It's no surprise this bastard came so brazenly.'
The situation had suddenly worsened. No one could have anticipated that All Might wouldn't arrive. If that was the case, weren't they in a truly desperate situation?
"So then, young hero, what will you do?"
Despite hearing that, Allen's gaze remained calm.
"Allen-kun..." All For One's voice was filled with approval. "It truly is a shame... having to kill you."
"Come and try!"
Allen flew toward All For One. He tightened his fist, and All For One met the blow with his own.
Both fists collided, creating a powerful gust of wind that blasted out in all directions.
====
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