All Might's arrival brought a ray of hope to the students who were standing at the edge of the abyss.
To the people, All Might was not just a superhero—he was a pillar. As long as he existed, as long as he appeared, everything would be resolved.
That had been everyone's belief until now, and because of that, the despair that had been consuming the students vanished the moment he arrived.
The greatest hero, the Symbol of Peace, the hero capable of defeating any villain and solving any predicament—that was All Might.
'Sensei's most troublesome enemy… All Might!'
Shigaraki thought as his eyes filled with disdain, recalling the conversation he had had with his master earlier that same day.
....
*Flashback*
Shigaraki stood before the doors of a room, hesitating before pushing them open.
Inside, a faint opera could be heard playing, adding a refined touch to the gloomy chamber.
There weren't many furnishings—a coffee table, a bookshelf, and a velvet chair at the back, where a man sat reading in front of a fireplace.
Shigaraki approached but did not immediately interrupt All For One's reading. The man turned a couple more pages before finally closing the book and placing it on the small table beside him. It wasn't a novel, but something simpler—an old superhero manga.
Shigaraki made no comment about it.
"Sensei, the preparations are complete, but is it necessary to be so cautious? All Might should already be agonizing..."
All For One had been meticulous. Before launching the attack on U.A., he had lured All Might to the opposite side of Japan. How did he do it? By using himself as bait.
All Might had searched for All For One for years without success. Ever since their final battle, he had never appeared again, so when All For One revealed even the faintest clue, All Might rushed toward it without hesitation.
Anyone would think it was strange. Anyone could see from miles away that it was a trap. But it didn't matter—All For One knew that even if his nemesis realized it, he would still come.
He used that to his advantage to draw him away from U.A.
The plan was simple but effective. Even so, despite obeying, Shigaraki didn't understand why his sensei went through so much trouble.
"Sensei, shouldn't we take advantage of this opportunity to finish off All Might?"
Shigaraki knew that six years ago, All Might had been gravely injured by his sensei. Since then, All Might's vitality had steadily eroded. The strongest hero had weakened, and by now, he was no longer at his peak.
Meanwhile, All For One had only increased the number of Quirks he possessed. He had even undergone modifications that granted him superhuman capabilities even without Quirks.
They had the new League of Villains. They had Nomu. Even Shigaraki himself was strong. In his eyes, they had more than enough to kill All Might.
All For One knew this better than anyone. He had witnessed All Might's prime strength, speed, and endurance. But from watching the news and All Might's recent battles, it was clear he had weakened considerably.
All For One smiled at Shigaraki's doubts.
"Long ago, I had a fondness for reading superhero comics and manga..."
"I see..." For a moment, Shigaraki didn't know how to react to All For One's words.
"However, I never liked heroes. They were far too idealistic. They protected the innocent under their justice and morality, dividing the world by their own standards—good and evil, with no middle ground. That left many abandoned, people who were not at fault for being born with dangerous Quirks."
Shigaraki clenched his teeth.
"And not only that—there are evils heroes never touch, such as the darkness of society itself. It's amusing how idealism often ignores the actions of corrupt politicians, simply because heroes don't want to involve themselves in such matters," All For One smiled. "Tomura-kun, do you think heroes would bite the hand that feeds them if they knew everything done under the table?"
"They wouldn't."
"That's right. But I believe that even among hypocritical heroes, there are genuine ones—and among them, All Might is the most foolish, naive, and idealistic of all... and yet, he is the enemy I hate the most—and respect the most..."
"..."
"Tomura-kun, never underestimate a wounded hero. In those moments when it seems you've already won, when they have no strength left, when they stand on the brink of defeat... that is when true heroes become the most dangerous."
"I'll keep that in mind, Sensei..."
....
All Might scanned the area with his eyes. When he saw his injured students and Thirteen and Aizawa lying in pools of blood, his blood boiled with the same intensity it had years ago.
"ALL FOR ONE!"
In his entire life, All Might had only ever truly hated one villain. There was only one he could never forgive—and that was All For One.
"Welcome back, All Might. How was Osaka?~"
All For One's undisguised mockery and the smile hidden beneath his mask were enough to make the veins stand out across All Might's body.
All Might lunged forward, but instead of attacking All For One, his fist struck the Nomu, sending it flying through the air and freeing Bakugo. He then grabbed Bakugo by the collar and threw him behind.
Kirishima caught Bakugo.
"All of you did well enduring this. Don't feel sad or frustrated—you survived, and that alone is admirable. Now, all of you fall back and leave this fight to me..."
All Might's words filled many of the students' eyes with tears. Even Bakugo didn't object—though he rarely showed it, his respect and admiration for All Might were nearly as great as Deku's.
All For One wasn't surprised. All Might already knew his modus operandi and wouldn't be easily provoked. However, there was one detail few noticed—All Might's breathing was labored.
"As expected of the greatest hero. That Nomu should have had strength comparable to yours, yet you sent it flying. Truly, the power growth of heroes is unpleasant~"
"Shut up... I'm not in the mood to listen to your speeches!"
"Oh, don't be such a buzzkill. It's been six years since our last meeting. Don't you think we could talk like old enemies? Or do you still hate me for killing Nana Shimu—"
All For One didn't finish his sentence, forced instead to block All Might's punch.
"Don't you dare say her name with your filthy mouth!"
All For One's arm warped and grew, just as it had when he struck Allen.
"What a wonderful expression—where is your smile now, hero?!"
All For One punched All Might in the stomach.
"Detroit Smash!"
All Might answered with a punch to All For One's face, cracking part of his mask.
"Hypertrophy, Boost, Rivet, Gravity!"
All For One's massive arm became enveloped in an aura as the metallic rivets protruding from his flesh darkened.
When it struck All Might, there was no shockwave—only a crushing pressure that made everyone feel heavier.
"All Might, I acquired several Quirks overseas and have been eager to test them against you~"
Blood spilled from All Might's mouth, but instead of being blown away, he recovered and counterattacked.
The moment All Might struck All For One, the damage rebounded onto him, tearing the sleeve of his shirt.
"Impact Recoil"
"Ugh... I'm not done yet!"
Still, All Might didn't stop and poured even more power into the blow, sending a shocked All For One flying.
"Sensei!" Shigaraki shouted, and for a moment he moved to attack All Might—but a single glance from All Might stopped him cold.
"..." All Might panted.
The students watching felt a surge of joy, but the illusion quickly shattered as All For One emerged from the dust without a single visible wound, save for the crack in his mask.
"As usual, your strength is irrational. However, you still look tired. Don't tell me this is your limit after six years of decline."
"Shut up! I already told you I don't want to hear your speeches!"
All For One laughed.
All Might tried to attack, but a black arm burst out from the ground and grabbed him by the neck.
"What is this?!"
"Oh, that creature was created to kill you..." All For One said mockingly.
"All For One, you've always been a bastard who has no regard for life. Who did you use to create this monster?!"
"Who do you think?" All For One reveled in All Might's expression as he clenched his teeth and struck the Nomu, which responded with blows just as powerful.
Despite Shigaraki's words, no one had truly believed him. I mean, how could anyone believe that this monster would have strength comparable to All Might?
But after witnessing the exchange of blows between All Might and the Nomu, they could no longer deny it. This monster truly had the same strength as All Might.
'All Might!' Deku panicked. There were now two enemies capable of injuring All Might. This wasn't good.
In the past, even with all odds stacked against him, everyone would have trusted that All Might would emerge victorious. But Deku felt fear. He knew about All Might's injury—and All Might had already passed One For All on to him.
"So what if it's as strong as my one hundred percent?!" All Might struck the Nomu even harder. "So what if this creature was created to kill me?!"
With each punch, All Might's power increased, and the Nomu was gradually overwhelmed, beaten unilaterally until it was unable to respond at all.
"I just have to go further!"
All Might surpassed one hundred percent of his strength, and with a final blow, he sent the Nomu flying.
"..."
All For One used telekinesis to stop the Nomu's body before it could be launched out of the USJ, suspending it in midair.
The Nomu tried to move but could only convulse before falling completely unconscious.
"Impossible!" Shigaraki couldn't believe it. The Nomu wasn't just supposed to be as strong and fast as All Might in his prime—it also possessed two Quirks: Shock Absorption, capable of absorbing kinetic energy, and Super Regeneration. Even so, everything had been surpassed.
It was irrational, but just as All For One had said, a wounded hero must never be underestimated.
All For One smiled. "Tomura-kun, it's true that this man is irrational. But even he has his limits. All of his predecessors did... Kudo (the second user of One For All)... Bruce (the third user of One For All)... Hikage Shinomori (the fourth user of One For All)... Daigoro Banjo (the fifth user of One For All)... En Tayutai—Smoke-Eater (the sixth user of One For All)... and Nana Shimura... Each one of them exceeded my expectations time and time again, but all of them fell without exception."
All Might clenched his teeth until they bled upon hearing the last name.
"All Might, I acknowledge that among all of them, you are the strongest—and the only one who pushed me to my limits." All For One smiled as two of his fingers transformed into Rivet Stabs, piercing through the Nomu's body. With that, he reclaimed the Shock Absorption and Super Regeneration.
The exposed brain of the Nomu melted, and its eyes went dark. It was dead.
All For One dropped Nomu's body like trash.
"But now it's time to end your legacy, All Might."
"...!" All Might's eyes widened. In that moment, he realized something that even frightened him—All For One knew about Izuku Midoriya.
"What's the surprise? Did you think I wouldn't notice?" All For One laughed. "Still, I'm surprised. If that is the best successor you could find, then it is the end of One For All."
"I won't let you!" All Might faced All For One again, but steam was already pouring from his body, a sign that his transformation was reaching its limit.
"You're wrong, this is already over~" All For One smiled.
"...?!" All Might began to grow thinner before everyone's stunned eyes, and before they could react, he became gaunt.
"No!" Deku watched helplessly.
"What's happening?" Itsuka asked while supporting Momo over her shoulder.
"All Might?" Ochako, who was carrying Thirteen, froze as well.
"Who is that?" Iida gasped.
"This can't be happening..." Toru, who had taken this chance to search for Allen, stood paralyzed.
– Six years of drained vitality.
– Hours upon hours of relentless searching across Japan.
– Several minutes of combat beyond his absolute limit.
Even the man who made the impossible possible had reached his limit—beyond his limit.
"This is your hero, young ones!" All For One declared as he began walking toward All Might.
It was the end...
All For One had anticipated everything in this battle—from the defeat of the Nomu, his temporary loss of Quirks, Lady Nagant's intervention, and of course, All Might's limit beyond his limit.
Despite the situation, All Might did not retreat. He showed no fear. He never stopped facing All For One.
"I'm sorry you have to see me like this, young heroes. It's true—this is who I am! But don't worry, I won't let that monster lay a hand on you!"
"What wonderful last words!" All For One extended his hand, forming a sphere of darkness. "As expected from my nemesis!"
All the students felt unimaginable terror and helplessness.
"All Might!" Deku shouted, trying to stand.
Auge...
"All For One felt a change in atmospheric pressure. When he looked up at the sky, he sensed something was different.
He had been able to foresee everything—almost everything. But there was something that had slipped through his calculations.... Someone he had not anticipated.
A mocking laugh escaped All Might.
It all happened in an instant...
The clouds split apart, and something descended at a speed that could not be measured.
"...!" All For One raised his arm as it grew and became coated in metal and rivets.
"Todoroki!"
Shoto Todoroki heard a familiar voice and immediately created an ice wall in front of All Might. In the next instant, a flash descended from the sky and struck All For One's arm.
All For One defended themselves, but it wasn't enough—the kick landed, breaking the bone in his arm.
The impact created a huge shockwave.
"It's strange... You shouldn't be able to move... You shouldn't be here... Who are you?"
All For One couldn't believe that such a huge, unexpected, absurd miscalculation could exist.
"Me?" Allen smiled mockingly. "I'm your enemy, villain"
For the first time, All For One looked irritated.
"You!"
His shout echoed everywhere as Todoroki's wall collapsed, revealing the scene before them.
With a flowing white cape bathed in sunlight, the young man, many believed to be dead, stood before absolute evil.
"All For One, you came for my Quirk, didn't you?" Four cards appeared around Allen. "Fine. I will show you, I will let you experience the breaking of logic and boundaries, don't regret it"
All For One felt something strange in his chest—something he hadn't felt in a very long time. He didn't know... he didn't understand... he couldn't read what was about to happen.
Allen, with his power, was unpredictable.
"Allen Walker!"
====
A/N: Cliff-kun strikes again 🗿
If you want to read more, there are up to ten chapters ahead on Patreon.
Patreon.com/_Aizen